Some things never change with time, and a franchise continuation after finding success is one of them. Following a series-best opening at the global box office, The Conjuring: Last Rites has revived hopes of exploring more movies set within the universe, even though the film was billed as the final outing for the Warrens.
The workaround? Go back in time to their younger days. As reported by Puck News, Warner Bros. is already looking to develop a potential prequel, but producer James Wan, who created The Conjuring Universe, may not be back for the ride. The filmmaker is understood to be in a pay dispute with the studio, which isn’t yielding to Wan’s request for higher wages for producing duties.
Things are brighter on the streaming front, with The Conjuring series moving forward at HBO Max (via Variety). First announced in 2023, it will onboard Nancy Won (Jessica Jones) as writer, executive producer, and showrunner, alongside Peter Cameron and Cameron Squires — who both worked on Agatha All Along and WandaVision — as scribes. Peter Safran remains as executive producer, with James Wan’s Atomic Monster producing.
While plot details remain under wraps, the project is expected to continue the story established in The Conjuring film franchise. It’s also unclear whether Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson will reprise their respective roles or star in some capacity, having portrayed Lorraine and Ed Warren, respectively, for 12 years across nine movies.
Directed by series regular Michael Chaves, who helmed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Last Rites is based on the real-life Smurl haunting in Pennsylvania. The R-rated pic is the latest in the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time, which has earned US$2.4 billion to date.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
