Exorcist: The Beginning [2004]

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 2002 - 2003
Running Times:
Length:
Format: 35mm/Univision
Colour Format: colour
Ratio: 2.00:1
Sound:

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Dominion Productions / Morgan Creek Productions
Executive Producers: Guy McElwaine, David C. Robinson
Producer: James G. Robinson
Co-Producer: Wayne Morris
Unit Production Manager: Wayne Morris
Production Coordinator: Leslie S. Stevens
Assistant Production Coordinator: Elisabetta Tomasso

SCRIPT
Script: Alexi Hawley
Story: William Wisher, Caleb Carr
Characters: William Peter Blatty

DIRECTION
Director: Renny Harlin
2nd Unit Director: Antti Jokinen
1st Assistant Director: Bruce Franklin
2nd Assistant Directors: Emma Horton, Oscar Beuselinck
2nd Assistant Director [Italy]: Filippo Fassetta

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Vittorio Storaro
2nd Unit Director of Photography: Marco Carosi

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Mark Goldblatt
Post-Production Producer: Omneya 'Nini' Mazen

MUSIC
Music: Trevor Rabin
Additional Music / Songs: Robert J. Walsh [Call to Prayers]; David Bradnum [Sengenya; Luo Drums]; Hughie Charles, Ross Parker [We'll Meet Again]; Scott Nickoley, Ronal Dunlap, Steve Lang [Hurry Back]; Dick Kolmar [Florida Special]
Songs Performed By: Peggy Lee, Benny Goodman [We'll Meet Again]
Score Producer: Paul Linford
Score Mixer: Steve Kempster
Music Editor: Jeanette Surga
Assistant Music Editor: Shie Rozow

SOUND
Lead Sound Designer: Harry Cohen
Sound Recordists: Frank Fleming, Nick Foley
Production Sound Mixer: Michael C. Moore
Supervising Sound Editor: Tom Bellfort
Sound Editors: Larry Kemp, Michael Kamper
ADR Mixer: Ted Swanscott
ADR Editor: Ulrika Akander
Sound Effects Editor: Bruce Tanis
Foley Artists: James Moriana, Jeffrey Wilhoit
Foley Mixers: Derek Vanderhorst, Nerses Gezalyan

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Head Make Up: Fabrizio Sforza
Key Make Up: Alessandra Sampaolo
Key Hair: Giancarlo De Leonardis
Hair: Hayat Ouled Dahhou
Costume Designer: Luke Reichle
Costume Supervisor: Marco Scotti

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up Effects Designer: Gary J. Tunnicliffe

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Supervisor: Danilo Bollettini

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisors: Ariel Velasco-Shaw, Brian Jennings, Richard Kidd
Visual Effects Coordinator: Adriano Cirulli
Effects Technical Director: Chris Hummel
Visual Effects: Chuck Toussieng, Daniel Hernandez, Eric Clement, Lucas Janin, Mathieu Archambault
Digital Effects Artists: David Ridlen, Jeff Varga
Digital Compositors: D. Walt Cameron, Joni Jacobson

Digital Dimension
Visual Effects Executive Producer: Jerome Morin
Visual Effects Coordinator: Taryn P. Kelly
Digital Artist: Jason Crosby
Compositor: Leandro Visconti

Kleiser-Walczak
2D Supervisor: Chris Holmes
Texture Painter: Laurie Baranyay
Digital Compositors: Douglas Aiken, Michael Pecchia

Meteor Studios
Visual Effects: Jeffrey Martin
Lead Technical Director: Michael Baltazar
Digital Compositors: Frank D'Iorio, Philippe Roberge

Pixel Magic
Digital Effects Artist: Jason Hill
CG Artist: Kevin Struckman
Lead Compositor: Brad Moylan
2D Compositor: John R. McConnell

Proxima
Visual Effects Supervisor: Paolo Zeccara

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Stefano Maria Ortolani
Art Director: Eugenio Ulissi
Assistant Art Director: Gianpaolo Rifino
Set Decorator: Carlo Gervasi
Assistant Set Decorators: Francesco Fonda, Roberta Amodio
Property Master: Dominic Hyman
Assistant Property Master: Francesco Postiglione
Construction Manager: Fernando Valento

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisors: Kathryn Waters, Portia Belmont
Production Assistant: Katharine Chadwick
Unit Publicist: Eugene Rizzo

LOCATIONS
Locations: Rome, Lazio, Italy
Studio: Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: David Ambrosi
Stunts: Mohamed Ali, David Ambrosi, Giorgio Antonini, Alessandro Borjese, Akouala Cristel Julien, Alessandro Novelli, Wilson Peres, Tatiana Romanova, Enrico Salamon, Paolo Susani, Diego Tomassini

CASTING
Casting: Pam Dixon

CAST
Stellan Skarsgård [Father Merrin]
Izabella Scorupco [Sarah]
James D'Arcy [Father Francis]
Remy Sweeney [Joseph]
Julian Wadham [Major Granville]
Andrew French [Chuma]
Ralph Brown [Sergeant Major]
Ben Cross [Semelier]
David Bradley [Father Gionetti]
Alan Ford [Jeffries]
Antonie Kamerling [Lieutenant Kessel]
Eddie Osei [Emekwi]
Israel Aduramo [Jomo]
Patrick O'Kane [Bession]
James Bellamy [James]
Cecilia Amati [little Dutch girl]
Matti Ristinen [medieval priest]
Lidia Darly [Sebutuana's wife]
James Paparella [boy in market]
Silvio Jimenez Hernandez [stricken Turkana worker]
Yemi Goodman Ajibade [Turkana Shaman]
Michel Leroy [tribesman in hospital]
John Sesay [Turkana warrior 1]
Sayoh Lahai [Turkana warrior 2]
Alessandro Casula [preacher with Pazuzu]
Roberto Purvis [Corporal Finn]

SUMMARY

Just after World War II, Father Lankester Merrin travels to the Turkana region of Kenya to take a break and recover from the horrific things he's seen during the conflict. He leads an archaeological dig which uncovers a perfectly preserved Byzantine church and, beneath that, an ancient crypt. But the dig has unleashed a terrible evil which is soon driving the locals mad and affecting the contingent of British soldiers sent to guard the excavation. Merrin must confront a terrifying enemy in the ultimate battle.

AVAILABILITY

Argentina
Theatrical Distributors: Warner Bros.

Italy
Theatrical Distributors: Eagle Pictures S.p.a.

Netherlands
Theatrical Distributors: Moonlight Films

Russia
Theatrical Distributors: Ekaterinburg Art

Switzerland
Theatrical Distributors: Ascot Elite Entertainment Group

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Warner Bros.

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

USA
Rating: R [for strong violence and gore, disturbing images and rituals, and for language including some sexual dialogue]

TIMELINE

2002
November
11: Italy – filming begine

2003
March
Day Unknown: Italy – filming ends

2004
August
20: USA – theatrical release

September
23: Germany – theatrical release
24: Austria – theatrical release

October
7: Argentina, Thailand – theatrical release
22: Iceland – theatrical release
28: Czech Republic, Switzerland [German speaking region] – theatrical release
29: Finland, Norway, UK – theatrical release

November
4: Australia – theatrical release
5: Brazil, Sweden – theatrical release
10: Belgium – theatrical release
17: France – theatrical release

2005
January
Day Unknown: Netherlands – theatrical release

POSTER TAGS

God Is Not Here

A new chapter of evil

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Exorcist IV: The Beginning - working title
Exorcist Prequel - working title
Exorcist: Dominion - working title
Exorcisten: Begynnelsen – Swedish title

LINKS

SEQUEL TO
The Exorcist [1973]
Exorcist II: The Heretic [1977]
The Exorcist III [1990]

KEYWORDS

africa, archaeologists, book into film, demons, exorcisms, military, possession, prequels, priests

Last Updated: 30 September, 2007