EXCLUSIVE: Wolf Creek director Greg McLean will write and direct The First Exorcist, a supernatural thriller out of Australia.

McLean’s Emu Creek Pictures is collaborating with Mark Fennessy‘s Helium to make the pic, we can reveal. Production is set for Victoria, Australia, with a 2025 shoot date planned. Casting will follow.

The First Exorcist is billed as a “spellbinding fusion of religious and supernatural events set in Biblical times,” in which a mother goes on a harrowing quest to save her daughter from demonic possession. Plot reads: “As their lives descend into a nightmare, the mother learns of a mysterious healer with the power to expel demons, and embarks on a dangerous race against time – encountering hostile Roman authorities on her perilous mission to find the healer and save her daughter’s life.”

The plan is to use cutting edge virtual production tech in Victoria to bring epic ancient cities and locations to life.

Director McLean is known for 2013 Australian Outback horror Wolf Creek and its sequel, Wolf Creek 2. He also directed the Stan TV series based on the Wolf Creek franchise. Other directing credits include The Bello Experiment, starring John C. McGinley and John Gallagher Jr., and Kevin Bacon-starrer The Darkness, which he also wrote. His last film was 2017’s Jungle, which starred Daniel Radcliffe as real-life Israeli adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg, and he has directed episodes of NBC’s La Brea, The Twelve, Jack Irish, The Gloaming, Bloom, Scrublands and the upcoming buzzy Netflix series Territory. McLean make his films through Emu Creek, but also recently launched Huge Film, a partnership with director Patrick Hughes and screenwriter James Beaufort aimed at making elevated genre TV shows and films.

Fennessy, who has run producer Helium since 2021, said: “Greg’s script delivers an intensity and emotional depth that, combined with jaw-dropping scares, a fascinating historical setting and powerful supernatural themes, will create a milestone film experience. His refined storytelling and dynamic visual style will elevate The First Exorcist, and we are thrilled to bring his spine-chilling vision to life.”

Helium’s shows include two seasons of drama Last King of the Cross for Paramount+, girlband drama Paper Dolls and ABC factual series The Assembly. It is also behind Paramount+ feature film 6 Festivals. The company has three division: Helium Pictures, Helium Studios and Helium Music Co.