Among the many Conjuring titles James Wan’s universe has spawned in almost a decade, The Nun remains the most successful of the bunch. The 2018 horror movie is still the highest-earner of the franchise, so it’s been a no-brainer that a sequel would materialize. The Nun 2 is finally moving forward now that Warner Bros has found the movie’s director.
Michael Chaves, who previously helmed two other Conjuring movies in 2019’s The Curse of La Llorona and 2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, is set to direct The Nun 2, per The Wrap. Chaves additionally worked with Billie Eilish in 2019 for her music video “Bury a Friend.” Production for The Nun 2 will reportedly begin later this year.
James Wan is producing the sequel, yet to be officially titled, from a screenplay by Malignant’s Akela Cooper. There's no news on the casting yet. The Nun’s star Taissa Farmiga shared her interest in playing Sister Irene once again in February, but admitted she’d yet to see a script. She cited the pandemic for perhaps delaying longtime plans for The Nun sequel.
When The Nun was released in late November of 2018, it suffered negative reviews overall and a low C grade CinemaScore. That said, CinemaBlend’s own Mike Reyes was one of its fans, giving the movie a 3.5 out of 5 in our review and calling it a “tense narrative that further binds James Wan's cinematic universe together.” The Nun was directed by Corin Hardy, who also made The Hallow and a host of music videos.
The Nun was set in 1952 Romania and served as a prequel to The Conjuring 2. It told the story of a priest sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun, as a demonic force begins to haunt her monastery. The film was announced just five days after The Conjuring 2 hit theaters and proved to be a big hit once it hit theaters, making $365 million at the worldwide box office.
Within our Conjuring universe ranking, The Nun sits at No. 6 of 8, making it one of the lesser films of the franchise. Chaves' own entries in The Conjuring universe haven’t particularly impressed when compared to the first two Conjuring films and Annabelle movies, but a ton of fans were really into his 2021 Conjuring film.
Currently, after The Nun 2, we don’t really know what other movies will continue the Conjuring universe. James Wan is working on another Insidious movie and a horror film called Below. He also filmed Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom for a 2023 release. We’ll keep you posted on more upcoming horror movies coming our way this year and beyond here on CinemaBlend.
