Details regarding the future of the Conjuring franchise have been mixed following the release of The Conjuring: Last Rites. There have been reports that the sequel is the last of the film franchise, while other reports claim that a television series is in development. Now a prequel movie to The Conjuring is reportedly in the works.
Obviously the franchise has plenty of potential for prequels, having previously proven the concept to be successful with the Annabelle and The Nun films. Of course, we haven’t had a prequel directly involving Ed and Lorraine Warren. While this isn’t confirmed to be the basis for this latest rumored film, it could be a likely possibility, especially if The Conjuring: Last Rites is being considered the last traditional installment.
Here’s what was shared via Variety:
“A prequel film is in development at Warner Bros. and New Line, with short film director Rodrigue Huart in talks to direct. Franchise veterans Richard Naing and Ian Goldberg, who co-wrote the two prior ‘Conjuring‘ films, 2023’s ‘The Nun II‘ and this September’s ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites,’ are on board to pen the screenplay.” The outlet adds: “No deals have closed at this time.”
As mentioned, The Conjuring: Last Rites has been officially billed as the final installment in the series. It also earned $487.2 million at the worldwide box office with a $55 million budget. With numbers like those, there’s still a profit to be made, so some kind of new project under the banner seems likely. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens on that front.
The outlet adds that it’s unknown if Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson would reprise their roles as Lorraine and Ed Warren for the potential prequel. If it does take place in the past, however, then the outlet adds that it “likely means that new actors will take over the helm of the ‘Conjuring‘ universe.” The outlet further adds that spin-off television series is also still in development.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the Conjuring franchise including this potential prequel and the in-development television series as we have them. It’s certainly exciting to see there’s still life in this franchise which has proven itself to be one of few successful shared universes in the horror genre.