Schrader takes over Exorcist prequel

The on-off-on saga of the Exorcist prequel took a turn for the better with the news that Paul Schrader is to step in as the new director, replacing the late John Frankenheimer.

Ballymena-born actor, Liam Neeson, is to play Father Merrin experiencing his first encounter with the Devil while doing missionary work in Africa

November is now down as the start date for the film.

The movie also stars Gabriel Mann and Billy Crawford, who, like Neeson, have always stuck by the troubled project.