‘The Conjuring 4’ is in the works from Warner Bros
Lovers of the Conjuring universe of frights and horror, rejoice, as Warner Bros has just announced that development on a fourth film in the franchise is underway.
Starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the previous three movies in the franchise earned a total of $840 million at the box office, with the wider franchise, including the films Anabelle and The Nun, earning $2.1 billion against a combined budget of $178 million. This makes the franchise the most profitable horror franchise of all time.
No confirmation has been made as to who will be returning for the fourth instalment, though we’d expect to see Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as Ed and Lorraine Warren. The business of who will direct the upcoming film is unclear too, with James Wan directing the first two instalments before handing over the third film to filmmaker Michael Chaves.
A catalyst for major change in the career of James Wan, the critical and commercial success of The Conjuring would lead to multiple sequels and spin-offs, each exploring the wider world of the Warrens. Including the Annabelle films following a haunted doll, the ancient terror of The Curse of La Llorona and the nightmarish visuals of The Nun, Wan has managed to craft a pioneering horror universe that has fans baying for more films and content.
This is a far cry from the seemingly endless conveyor belt of nonsense that fuelled the Friday the 13th, Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street franchise for so long, with Wan instilling a (fairly) consistent mark of quality from film to film.
Next for the franchise will be The Nun 2, which is due to arrive in cinemas in 2023.
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