'Exorcist' prequel will get release

LOS ANGELES, April 14 (UPI) -- After some time on the shelf, filmmaker Paul Schrader's prequel to "The Exorcist" is getting a release date, Daily Variety reported Thursday.

The paper said Morgan Creek Productions has decided to release Schrader's film on May 20, the same day that "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" hits theaters.

Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute Schrader's version of the prequel to director Williams Friedkin's 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist." Schrader began work on the film in November 2002, but Morgan Creek shut down production as the project neared completion, reportedly over creative differences.

Morgan Creek subsequently spent $35 million to have action director Renny Harlin ("Cliffhanger") remake the movie. Released last August, Harlin's picture grossed an estimated $80 million worldwide.

Last month, Schrader's finished film had its world premiere at the Brussels Fantasy Film Festival, and Morgan Creek is distributing it in overseas markets.

Variety said there is still disagreement on the film's official title. At the Brussels festival, it was billed as "Paul Schrader's The Exorcist: The Original Prequel," but Morgan Creek may prefer "Dominion: A Prequel to the Exorcist."