When it comes to ranking the movies in the Conjuring Universe, my own personal list might come as a surprise to some fans of the interconnected, “fact-based” horror movies from James Wan. For instance, as much as I enjoy the 2013 haunted house movie classic that started it all, I don’t love it as much as most people do and I would actually rank the 2016 sequel lower than most of the more commonly disliked spin-offs. In fact, my favorite of that bunch (and one of my most favorite of the whole franchise) is The Nun, which is why I am happy to see that a sequel is in the works.
It actually took me by surprise to see that the thriller about a habit-wearing demon spawned a follow-up, given the less-than-stellar reception from most critics and audiences (excluding myself, of course, and our own Mike Reyes, who gave it a pretty positive review, as well). However, I then remembered that the film became the highest grossing installment of the Conjuring franchise in 2018 and still holds that record to this day. Will The Nun 2 surpass the financial returns of its predecessor and, perhaps, even inspire more positive reviews? We shall see soon enough, but let’s just focus on what we already do know about this upcoming horror movie for now.
What Is The Nun 2 Release Date?
As an admirer of all things spooky, I never shy away from the chance to celebrate Halloween a little bit early. Thus, it is pleasant to know that — according to Deadline — The Nun 2 is currently scheduled to start haunting movie theaters on Friday, September 8, 2023.
The film is coming out five years after its direct predecessor — the first installment of the Conjuring Universe to do so since The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which was release in 2021. There was actually some uncertainty that the sequel would even happen in early 2022, with star Taissa Farmiga not being able to provide much concrete information about its fate to THR, but expressing her interest in returning to the role of Sister Irene. Luckily, her prayers (and that of The Nun fans) would eventually be answered.
Taissa Farmiga And Bonnie Aarons Reprise Their Roles In The Nun 2 Cast
Taissa Farmiga followed in the footsteps of her older sister, Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga (who plays Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring movies), by joining the franchise as the lead character of The Nun, Sister Irene — a role that Deadline confirmed she is reprising in the sequel. Of course, The Nun 2 would be incomplete without the ruthless, titular demonic entity which, as an Instagram post by producer James Wan confirmed, will be portrayed by Bonnie Aarons for the third time.
According to THR, Farmiga’s Sister Irene will not be the lead protagonist this time around as that spot will be filled by Storm Reid — known for The Invisible Man, Euphoria, and a memorable guest spot on The Last of Us — in a currently undisclosed role. Also joining the cast, as Deadline reported, is The Chronicles of Narnia star Anna Popplewell as a widowed school teacher named Kate, and her 10-year-old daughter, Sophie, is going to be played by Katelyn Rose Downey, who made her acting debut in the action-packed Hulu original movie, The Princess, in 2022.
How The Nun 2 Fits In The Conjuring Universe Timeline
To watch the Conjuring movies in chronological order, you would have to start with The Nun, which is set in 1952. It serves as an origin story for the demon Valak, who was first introduced in The Conjuring 2, which is set in 1977. It also ends with a clip from the beginning of the very first film in the franchise (which takes place in 1971), revealing that a possession victim whom Ed (Patrick) and Lorraine Warren once encountered named Maurice Theriault was really Jonas Bloquet’s character, Frenchie.
According JoBlo, The Nun 2 will be a direct sequel to its 2018 predecessor, taking place in France four years later. By setting it in 1956, that means that the sequel will be the second chronological chapter in the Conjuring Universe. Only when the film is released will we discover what new secrets about Valak are revealed.
Conjuring 3 Director Michael Chaves Is Helming The Nun 2
The moment when Conjuring fans finally received confirmation that The Nun 2 was officially happening was when The Wrap reported that Michael Chaves had been named the director of the sequel. The previous film was helmed by Corin Hardy, who had made an impressive debut with the terrifying 2015 folk horror flick, The Hallow.
This will mark Chaves’ third time directing a film in the Conjuring Universe, having made his own feature film debut with 2019’s The Curse of La Llorona before taking over the core franchise from Wan as the helmer of The Devil Made Me Do It. He is also know for directing the music video for Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend” and Nickelodeon’s video-game inspired miniseries, Chase Champions, in 2015.
M3GAN Writer Akela Cooper Co-Wrote The Script
While 2018’s film was written by a Conjuring Universe veteran (Annabelle movies writer Gary Dauberman, who actually made his feature film debut with 2019’s Annabelle Comes Homes), the sequel is in the hands of people who are new to the franchise, but certainly not to the genre. According to the Deadline article mentioning Anna Popplewell and Katelyn Rose Downey’s casting, the first draft of the sequel was written by Akela Cooper, who is known best for penning M3GAN — a smash hit for Blumhouse in 2023 — which was her folllow-up to Hell Fest and James Wan’s twisted 2021 slasher, Malignant.
The screenplay for The Nun 2 has since been revised by Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing — a duo known for collaborating on 2016’s creepy underrated gem, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, the 2019 Netflix original horror movie, Eli, and several episodes of Fear the Walking Dead. Goldberg also co-created Freeform’s Dead Summer (for which Naing wrote an episode), was a staff writer for Once Upon a Time, and helped David S. Goyer with the pilot for Syfy’s Superman prequel series, Krypton.
Could The Nun 2 be the Conjuring spin-off fans have been praying for, or is it destined for damnation? We will find to soon enough when the spooky sequel hits theaters this fall!
