Finally, after all these
years, it's really happening! Release date is October 25th, and additional
special features will be announced at a later date. I guess the lost footage
wasn't "lost" or "destroyed" after all, thank God!
You’ve heard the rumors for months... and they’re all true! William Peter Blatty’s cult favorite THE EXORCIST III will be bearing its cross on a 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray set from us on October 25th.
Extras (of which there are tons of) are underway and will be announced at a date in Late Summer / Early Fall. The newly-designed front-facing artwork from Joel Robinson you see here is final (not pictured is the reverse wrap image which will showcase the original theatrical poster art.) Early pre-order now directly from us @ https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/the-exorcist-iii-collector-s-edition and receive a free 18" x 24" poster of the new art (while supplies last) plus early shipping!
We know that the biggest question you might have is: Will there be a “Director’s Cut” of the film? The answer is yes—but with some caveats. We are working on putting together a version that will be close to Blatty’s original script using a mixture of various film and video tape sources that we have been provided with. This is still a work in progress and we will update you with more details at the time we announce the full list of bonus materials.
I'd also like to take this
opportunity to remind readers of Bill's TRILOGY OF FAITH, which he actually
revised back in 2011 if you missed it. Click the link below to read more:
While I still have access to a sufficient number of neurons, I
would like to use your site to correct a misapprehension that I see still
turning up here and there, including on Amazon's
Exorcist site, namely that I consider The Ninth Configuration
to be the sequel to The Exorcist.Did I ever say that? Who knows: I'm almost 84 years old. But I think
this misapprehension might well be traceable to Mark Kermode, who long ago named The Exorcist,
The Ninth Configuration and Legion "The Trilogy of Faith." Or
not. But today the three of my works I would link together are The
Exorcist, Legion and Dimiter. The Exorcist argues for God's
existence in a very general way while Legion approaches itin
a very specific, evidential way that to a great extent involves intelligent
design. In Legion there is a dream sequence in which the Humphrey
Bogart of Casablanca criticizes Lt. Kinderman for leaving Christ out
of the equation, to which Kinderman replies that he intends to include him.
Dimiter is the fulfillment of Kinderman's promise. To quote from A
Man For All Seasons, "I trust I make myself obscure."
::
Very neat (though expensive) neon display piece promoting Legion (The
Exorcist III) when it was released in cinemas. This appeared on eBay a
while back:
::
Rare advance reading copy of the novel:
::
PDF copy of The Exorcist III production notes (extensive!):
My long-time online/Blatty
companion Mike
Garrett was kind enough to snail-mail me a vast array of magazine pages
and clippings related directly to Legion. The scans have all finally
been made and uploaded, and can be viewed below.
Please bear in mind that this
LEGION section of TNC.com houses several articles, and some of these
may overlap in this new batch of scanned items. However, some may also be
exclusive to the site, so it's a good idea to take a look at both lots if
you get the chance. Here are the ones that are already housed at TNC.com:
As previously posted in
January of 2009, here is the same footage of Mark Kermode discussing the
lost material from Legion (The Exorcist III). Here, he mentions that
the search for it is an "ongoing project". There is also a brief clearing up
of certain facts pertaining to the legendary "spider walk" scene from the
original "Exorcist" film towards the end. YouTube embedded for your viewing
pleasure.
Be sure to check out the
following website to view a couple of very exclusive Legion-related
images, created by Daren R. Dochterman, Assistant to Production Designer for
The Exorcist III film:
The first image depicts a
sketch of the shears that Patient X would eventually use to decapitate
victims in the film; the second, a proposed logo design for back when it was
tentatively titled "The Exorcist 1990" -
Yet more exciting information
from
CemeteryDance.com! I have decided to post this
news on both the main TNC.com page and here in the Legion section,
since the issue is set to contain some very exclusive Legion-related
material:
"Cemetery Dance #62, the
William Peter Blatty special issue, is currently being proofread and will be
ready for the printer at the end of July, right on schedule for the
September release date. We haven't posted the contents on our website just
yet, but if you look to the right, you'll see a small preview of the amazing
Les Edwards cover artwork for the issue. And if you
subscribe today, you won't have to worry about picking up the issue on
your local newsstand when it comes out!"
The elusive "E-9" black and
white promo photo has now been located and can be found in the Rare Images /
Video, Etc >
Miscellaneous Images section.
You will notice that "E-11" is
still listed as missing. If you are in possession of it, or are able to
provide an image, please use the "Contact" link in the menu above and send
me an e-mail.
Another nice little piece of
miscellanea was found in a library edition copy of Legion, within the
acknowledgements section. Anyone familiar with the novel is aware of "The
Angel" theory mentioned by Kinderman at the novel's conclusion:
In
the novel, the coda was needed to put a button on what the novel was all
about -- Kinderman's rescue of God's goodness via his theory of "The Angel,"
which hypothesized that the fall of man was premundane; that before the Big
Bang, mankind was a single angelic being who fell from grace and was given
his transformation into the material universe as a means of salvation
wherein his legion of fragmented personalities would spiritually evolve
("Can there be a moral act without at least the possibility of pain?") back
into the original single angelic being, back into himself, a process
foreshadowed on the opening page of The Exorcist ("that matter was Lucifer
upward groping back to his God").
More info can be found in this
section of TheNinthConfiguration.com:
Here, Bill states where
the idea originally came from:
***End of June 20
additional updates***
As mentioned in the recent
post from May 23 (on the main TNC.com page), here is the "miscellaneous"
Legion content that I have had sitting around. Alternatively, you can
find the TNC miscellanea/updates in the
TNC
section of the website.
Firstly, four new reviews can
be found in the
The
Exorcist III (Film) location, those being:
Additional miscellanea can be found in the The Exorcist III (Film) >
Variations section. Here you will find an image of Nicole Kidman
and Tom Cruise at the premiere of The Exorcist III, as well
as some new posters, a new lobby card, and so on.
Unfortunately, my web host
recently had a horrible catastrophe happen with their sever, and a lot of
people have lost the content for their websites. All of
TheNinthConfiguration.com had fortunately been backed up, but I am going to
have to re-create the forum, as none of the databases were saved. Please be
patient.
Mark Kermode, another fellow
Blatty, Ninth Configuration and Legion enthusiast, recently spoke once again
about the "lost" Exorcist III (Legion) footage, which can be read
about in more detail at the following links:
Mark claims that the quest for the missing
footage is "ongoing". Don't forget to keep an eye on the upcoming
book by my dear friend, Erik Myers, which will detail this
continuing debacle from its very inception to the present day quest for the
long lost footage. Here is the link to the video,
which I have also embedded below:
:: American Exorcist
news; more rare material added; The Exorcist III book news!
As posted at the
American Exorcist microsite,
advanced copies of American
Exorcist: Critical Essays On William Peter Blatty have been distributed!
Very exciting times ahead indeed. Click on the thumbnails below to view
larger images:
Front
Cover
Back
Cover
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Additionally, two new trailers have been added to the "rare" section of the
site:
Not
counting the official trailer released on The Exorcist III DVD, there
are now four different trailers available to download in the
Rare Images / Video,
Etc section: the rare, unreleased "head morphing" trailer; an alternate
edit not found on the DVD; another version of the edit, and a fan-made
trailer. Be sure to check them all out when you get the chance!
Extensive
updates to
https://www.myspace.com/theexorcistiii are forthcoming; much is now going
on in the world of "The Evolution Of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist
III: From Concept To Novel To Screen"!
As
posted on the
main
TNC.com page, Rich Savine was kind enough to supply TNC.com with a
variety of material. You can now find scans of the UK promotional photos for The Exorcist III and a
review of The Exorcist III from Samhain magazine at the
following links:
Additionally, I have added an
alternate trailer for The Exorcist III in
rare section.
This trailer differs from both the one available on The Exorcist III
DVD, and the rare, unreleased
"head morphing" trailer. Check it out here:
Today I
finally acquired
The Exorcist & Legion (Classic Screenplays) book, which I discovered
contains two rare images. Additionally, I also noticed a two-second
behind-the-scenes clip of Nicol Williamson as Father Morning in the "Curse
of The Exorcist" E! documentary. A still from that scene is also in the
rare images miscellaneous gallery.
The rare
images link now contains photos and scans of the American, German
and Spanish lobby card sets, along with the French lobby card set that I
uploaded a little while ago. Please note that while the smaller German and
French lobby cards could be scanned, the remaining American, Spanish and two
larger German lobby cards had to be photographed, as they do not fit onto
the scanner. The quality is compromised, but it is better than nothing!
"Honestly, I'm not
absolutely certain this is it, but my best recollection is that it was a
homage to Nic Roeg's DON'T LOOK NOW in which every scene contained an object
that was blood-red and portending the final appearance of the killer clad in
a vivid red. As with Roeg's film, my roses always signified a death to come.
At least that's how I recall it."
:: "A Legion Of Interference"
- Fangoria Issue #122 Scans
Mark
Kermode and Erik Kristopher Myers have finally uncovered the coveted "A
Legion Of Interference" Fangoria article, and kindly provided the website
with images from the magazine. It is a remarkable read, and includes an
early shot of Brad Dourif as The Gemini Killer that I have never seen
before.
Check it out
here. Countless thanks to Mr. Kermode and Mr. Myers!
Accounts such as these and
more will be included in Erik's 2008 publication William Peter
Blatty's The Exorcist III: From Concept To Novel To Screen. Please
help support this project by visiting the MySpace page:
When
long-time friend and Legion enthusiast
Erik K. Myers
recently paid William Peter Blatty a visit at his home, he was permitted to
take these images of the call sheet from day one of the production of The
Exorcist III. The piece is framed and hangs in Bill's study, adorning the
inscription to his wife:
My endless
gratitude goes out to Erik (who is presently working on the definitive
non-fiction novel for Legion, tentatively titled "The Evolution Of
William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III: From Concept To Novel To Screen")
for supplying this website with such invaluable material.
Look out for similar items
to emerge in the weeks and months ahead!
A MySpace profile has also
been created for
Legion.
Additionally, a
newly-discovered and rare still from The Exorcist III is contained in
the former link, which I have added to the
miscellaneous
rare images gallery. View it
here!
In addition to the September
24 update regarding James Venamun's lobby cards and contributions, I
have come across four additional images that I have not been able to
identify in either his or my own personal collections. If you happen to have
any more information pertaining to them, and are aware whether or not they
are available in lobby card form, please
e-mail me and let me know. I have listed them below:
James Venamun from the TNC.com
forum
submitted these images of himself wearing a shirt that "the crew reportedly
wore during the shoot" of The Exorcist III:
Additionally, James Venamun
from the TNC
forum (who graciously provided the FEAR scans) has made his
own, extensive Exorcist III collection - primarily consisting of
hard-to-find promotional photographs - available to view. Click on the
thumbnail below!
Scans of my own promotional
photographs can be found in the following locations:
There you will find additional
rare images, a clip of the E! True Hollywood Story: Curse Of The Exorcist
containing data specifically in regard to The Exorcist III, along
with the unreleased trailer featuring the infamous "head morphing" sequence.
