Billy Crawford: When he played a demon exorcist who lacked in the cinema

Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars kicked off this Friday, September 9, with an array of contenders ready to shake their hips for the coveted trophy.

Among them, we were able to find Billy Crawford, a singer, dancer and Filipino-American TV presenter who enjoyed success in France in the early 2000s thanks to the title. Follow up In particular, taken from his second album, Wrinkled.

This Friday night, the singer, together with her partner Fov Hoto, surprised the judges and immediately qualified for the remaining parts of the competition, gaining the coveted 4 immunity votes.

But Billy Crawford also appeared on the screen as an actor from an early age, portraying his first character in 1988, at the age of 6, in a Filipino film called Moises Platon.

After that, he starred in several Philippine film and television productions before finally landing his first role in the United States in 2002, in what was then billed as a prequel to William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973)… a film that was never released in France, which was released anyway. Part of the legendary horror saga. What happened ? Let’s get back to the facts.

The genesis of the project

Planned as the 4th installment in the franchise, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist was originally slated to be directed by John Frankenheimer before the latter left the project, with Paul Schrader then in charge.

However, the version of the psychological thriller without Schrader’s excessive angst does not convince the studio Morgan Creek Productions, which finances the film. That’s right, even though filming is already well advanced, the feature film has been completely reinvented: we’re talking about a new script, new actors… and a new director!

Complete overhaul

Therefore, this is a completely new film, which Rennie Harlin begins to direct, although he will retain several actors from the previous project, such as Stellan Skarsgård (Father Lancaster Merrin in both performances), Ralph Brown (Sergeant Major) and Julian Wadham (Major Granville).

However, other actors who are no longer available are replaced: thus, James D’Arcy takes over the role of Father Francis, previously played by Gabriel Mann. Finally, others, in solidarity with Paul Schrader, refuse to return.

But what about Billy Crawford? His role is no longer included in the new production, so he will not be part of its cast. His character is Cheche, a young man possessed by the demon Pazuzu – which will obviously have to be expelled – Therefore, it will exist only in the domain.

DOMINION FINALLY SAVED?

But, changing the situation, Renny Harlin’s version, called The Exorcist: In the Beginning, would be a failure, both critical and public, when it was released in 2004. Accordingly, production reacts: Morgan Creek thus allocates. Budget $35,000 to complete previous version.

With this rather sparse offering, special effects in particular will be reworked before the audio mix, in turn, is rushed through. So Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist finally saw the light of day in 2005, but without much success. The film was never released in France and was limited to the United States and a few European countries.

But make no doubt: An alternate version of The Exorcist is under consideration: For starters, the feature film is indeed part of a horror franchise that certainly isn’t done talking about it. Indeed, the first part of the sequel trilogy, signed by David Gordon Green, should be released in our cinemas on October 11, 2023.

In the meantime, discover little secrets and details from the original movie below if you haven’t already!