Just as the first installment did back in 2013, ‘The Conjuring 2’ surpassed expectations and dominated the weekend box office by racking up the third highest horror movie opening of all time. With a track record like that, it’s no surprise that New Line Cinema is looking to expand the franchise based on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren even further. Luckily, the filmmakers already have plenty of ways in mind to do so.
Director James Wan revealed that he has an idea about where he wants to go with the series if/when the studio green lights another sequel. Though he mostly stayed tight-lipped on the exact details of the story, Wan did let a small tidbit out during a recent interview with IGN:
“They do have a lot of stories so I think, organically, if we’re lucky enough to tell future chapters, there’s a lot of stuff we could be pulling from. I do have something specific but I’m not going to say it. But I will say this – I do think Conjuring 1 and 2 are both set in the 70s, I think Conjuring 3 has got to be set in the 80s.”
Considering that the couple’s exploits spanned the 70s, 80s, and 90s, there are definitely a number of places where the third chapter could go. But before that gets off the ground, Wan will reunite with producer Peter Safran once again to develop a spinoff based on the demonic nun from ‘The Conjuring 2’. Written by that film’s co-writer David Leslie Johnson, the fourth overall movie in this series (which currently includes the two main movies and the 2014 prequel ‘Annabelle’) will expand the backstory of this sinister character that interestingly didn’t even exist until the film went into last-minute reshoots only three months before the premiere. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the original antagonist set to terrorize Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s paranormal investigators was a demonic figure with horns. However, at the very last minute, Wan came up with the demon nun concept and that’s what ended up in the theatrical cut to the delight of horror fans worldwide.
What do you think about James Wan’s ideas for ‘The Conjuring 3’? Are you looking forward to ‘The Nun’? And which one of the Warren’s cases do you want to see adapted for this supernatural film series next? Let us know in the comments below.
Despite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences far too much. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
