THE RITUAL: AL PACINO AND DAN STEVENS TO PLAY CONTRASTING PRIESTS IN HORROR FILM

Director David Midell has assembled Al Pacino and Dan Stevens under one roof for an upcoming horror film, The Ritual. The two celebrities will be slipping into the shoes of troubled priests with polarising personalities. The Ritual is based on a true exorcism story of an American woman named Emma Schmidt, who was believed to be possessed by a demon. Parts of her case still remain shrouded in mystery. It was also one of the most thoroughly documented exorcism occurrences ever documented in American history. Although not confirmed, the forthcoming movie is expected to hit the big screens sometime in 2025.

The Ritual centres around two priests dealing with personal issues. While one (Al Pacino) is in a spiritual battle with God, questioning his beliefs and faith, the other (Dan Stevens) is trying to come to terms with his haunting past. However, when a woman is possessed, the two messengers of God must keep aside their innate differences and troubles to help the woman through challenging and blood-curdling exorcisms. Besides Pacino and Stevens, the cast also includes Abigail Cowen and Ashley Greene.

The Ritual’s worldwide rights have been obtained by XYZ Films, reports Variety. The independent film production company also intends to set up international distribution at the soon-to-be-held Cannes event. Penned collaboratively by Enrico Natale and David Midell, the film is produced by Natale, Mitchell Welch, and Andrew Stevens. The production was financed by BondIt Media Capital, while The Ritual’s executive producers are Tyler Gould, Matthew Helderman and Luke Taylor.

Speaking of Al Pacino, the Godfather alum has another lined up in his pipeline. He will next be seen in the biographical drama Modi, based on Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani and directed by Johnny Depp. Meanwhile, Dan Stevens has risen to prominence thanks to being a part of hard-hitting movies like Abigail and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. David Midell’s last directorial was true thriller-mystery The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain.

Al Pacino is represented by Hoberman, Teller, Newman, Rush, Jacobson, Gellman, Warren, CAA and Hansen, Meigs & Fox, Kaller, and Richman, claims Variety. Dan Stevens’ representatives include Julian Belfrage Associates, Peikoff Mahan Law Office, and CAA.

2024-04-24T09:50:44Z dg43tfdfdgfd