James G. Robinson, Chairman/CEO and Guy McElwaine, President of Morgan Creek Productions have officially announced the start of production on "Exorcist : The Beginning", with Principal Photography now underway in Morocco.

Stellan Skarsgård will portray the young Father Merrin, a role made famous in the original film by Max Von Sydow. The prequel traces the story of Father Merrin back to his first encounter with the Devil in post-WWII Africa.

Produced by Morgan Creek Productions, "The Beginning" will be directed by Paul Schrader (Auto Focus). The film also stars Gabriel Mann (The Bourne Identity), Clara Bellar (A.I. Artificial Intelligence) and recording star Billy Crawford. James G. Robinson will serve as the film’s producer and Guy McElwaine will executive produce. The screenplay is by William Wisher (Terminator 2: Judgment Day).

After completing work in Morocco, the production will move to Rome for the remainder of the schedule.

Exorcist: The Beginning will be released in 2003 by Warner Bros. Pictures, an AOL Time Warner Company, and internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures and Morgan Creek International.