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:

DIRECTION

Director: Renny Harlin

CREW

PRODUCTION
©/Production Company: Morgan Creek Productions
[Presented by]: Warner Bros. Pictures
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
2nd Unit Director: Antti Jokinen
1st Assistant Director: Bruce Franklin
2nd Assistant Directors: Emma Horton, Oscar Beuselinck
2nd Assistant Director (Italy): Filippo Fassetta
Script Supervisors: Kathryn Waters, Portia Belmont

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

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

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

OTHER CREW
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 Lankester Merrin)
Izabella Scorupco (Dr Sarah Novack)
James D'Arcy (Father Francis)
Alan Ford (Jefferies)
Remy Sweeney (Emekwi's son, Joseph)
Julian Wadham (Major Granville)
David Bradley (Father Gionetti)
Ben Cross (Semelier)
Andrew French (Chuma)
Israel Aduramo (Jomo)
Antonie Kamerling (Lieutenant Kessel)
Ralph Brown (Sergeant Major)
Eddie Osei (Emekwi)
Patrick O'Kane (Bession)
James Bellamy (Emekwi's son, 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)

PLOT 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
Exorcist, The (1973)
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Exorcist III, The (1990)

SEE ALSO
Dominion  Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)

REFERENCES

PERIODICALS

Cinefantastique vol.35 no.1 (February/March 2003) pp.5-6 (USA)
illustrated article (Shout at the Devil by David E. Williams)

Hollywood Reporter vol.375 no.45 (12 November 2002) pp.19, 20 (USA)
credits

Premiere vol.16 no.8 (April 2003) pp.84-88 (USA)
illustrated article (Fright Club by Tom Russo)

Screen International no.1379 (1 November 2002) p.18 (UK)
illustrated article (Close Up - Paul Schrader)

Sight & Sound vol.13 no.5 (May 2003) pp.28-30 (UK)
illustrated article (Satan's Lonely Man by Kevin Jackson)

KEYWORDS

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

Last Updated: 22 March, 2009