If only the producers had a time machine! According to an exclusive on Deadline, Strike Entertainment is gearing up to start filming the sequel to ‘The Last Exorcism.’ This untitled sequel is set to take place 3 months after the end of the first film.

Ashley Bell has already been signed on to reprise her role as the demonically possessed farmgirl, Nell Sweetzer. The screenplay is penned by Damien Chazelle and the film now has a director, Ed Gass-Donnelly, whose credits include ‘This Beautiful City’ and ‘Small Town Murder Songs.’

Considering the original film was made on a budget of only $1.5 million and grossed $70 million worldwide, it’s not a surprise the producers were keen on making a sequel. As producer Eli Roth puts it:

“… (we’re) very, very excited to continue to this story. Obviously with the title of the first one we had not planned on a sequel, but we love the story and subject matter and had what we feel is an inspired idea to continue it. As you can see from other recent films, fans around the world are fascinated by this subject matter, and we want to go deeper and darker this time.”

Obviously the studio can’t go back and retitle the original film as ‘The Next to the Last Exorcism’ so finding the right title for this sequel will be a challenge to the team.  And while the original was rated PG-13, the producers, this time, are also going for an R rating to “show the true horror of what this subject matter offers.”

Filming is slated to begin next month in New Orleans and promises to be on a bigger scale that will “unravel a profoundly scarier chapter to Nell’s battle between good and evil.”  The sequel will have a release date sometime later this year.

So, are you ready for another found footage exorcism movie following the somewhat questionable success of ‘The Devil Inside?’