Lee Daniels just won big. Streaming giant Netflix will pony up a reported $65 million for the Oscar-nominated queer director’s next film, which is based on a true story about an exorcism in Indiana.
Deadline reports that the as-of-yet untitled film will also feature a star-studded cast of actors beloved by LGBTQ audiences. Andra Day, Octavia Spencer, Glenn Close, Rob Morgan, Caleb McLaughlin, and Aunjanue Ellis will all star, with production set to begin later this year.
Netflix won the package deal by outbidding several other major studios, including MGM and Miramax.
The story will focus on a real-life case of reported demonic possession in Gary, Indiana in 2011. A woman named Latoya Ammons, who lived with her mother and three children, claimed to experience paranormal events around her home.
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Her children reportedly began to levitate and speak in demonic voices, becoming more and more violent with one another with each occurrence. Police and Child Services got involved, and in a shocking twist, actually corroborated the demonic events.
Several officers and DCFS employees claimed to have witnessed unexplained occurrences, including one nine-year-old child walking backward up a wall.
Andra Day will play the role of Ammons, while Close will play the role of her mother. Spencer will play a member of the clergy who gets involved in the case.
The news comes amid renewed interest in exorcism-type movies, a genre popularized by The Exorcist back in 1973. Universal Pictures recently greenlit a trilogy of Exorcist sequels, set to start Leslie Odom, Jr. and original film star Ellen Burstyn, returning to her iconic role at age 88.
What makes the genre so popular? Have a look at this Exorcist compilation and decide. Here’s hoping Mr. Daniels & company have seen it, too…
Related: Apparently Natasha Lyonne taught Lee Daniels how to smoke after sex. We should all be so lucky.
