Russell Crowe stars in an upcoming supernatural horror movie based on the true story of a real exorcist
Oscar winner Russell Crowe will play a demon-fighting priest in The Pope’s Exorcist, an upcoming supernatural thriller.
Based on Amorth’s published memoir, the film is directed by Julius Avery, best known for the 2018 horror film Overlord.
Russell portrays Father Gabrielle Amorth, a real-life figure who was stationed at the Vatican and is said to have performed 60,000 exorcisms.
Oscar winner Russell Crowe will play a demon-fighting priest in The Pope’s Exorcist, an upcoming supernatural thriller
“It was one of my goals to work with Russell,” young Australian filmmaker Avery told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Working with him on The Pope’s Exorcist is a dream come true.”
According to the publication, the film will follow the life and work of Father Amorth, with filming expected to begin in September in Ireland.
Father Amorth, who died in 2016 at the age of 91, wrote two books detailing horrific tales of demonic possession – An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories.
The 58-year-old Kiwi superstar will play Father Gabrielle Amorth, a real-life character who has lived in the Vatican and is said to have performed 60,000 exorcisms Pictured: Russell Crowe in a scene from his upcoming film Poker Face
The official exorcist of the Diocese of Rome, Father Amorth, has been named Dean of Exorcists and is said to have performed a staggering 60,000 exorcisms over a 30-year period.
His death sparked national mourning in Italy, where an estimated 500,000 people visit an exorcist each year.
Although the Catholic Church officially recognizes exorcism, its modernizers see it as a medieval tom who plays with superstition to bolster religious devotion.
The Pope’s Exorcist is a supernatural thriller directed by Julius Avery, best known for the 2018 horror film Overlord Picture: Avery on the set of Overload
A favorite joke of Amorth’s was to say, “Do you know why the devil flees when he sees me? Because I’m uglier than him.”
Meanwhile, the new film adds to a long list of upcoming releases for Crowe, which he both directed and starred in, including The Greatest Beer Run Ever and Poker Face.
Impatient fans can catch the burly legend in Chris Hemsworth’s Thor: Love and Thunder when it launches next week.
Russell Crowe (pictured) in a scene from Thor: Love and Thunder