The Conjuring was one of those horror movies that didn’t just frighten audiences, it also scared up some huge dollars at the box office. When big budget movies are successes sequels are virtually guaranteed. When low-budget films, like this one, are successful, the sequel deal is usually signed before the first weekend is over. Such is the case with The Conjuring 2. The film is moving forward and they just filled a major role. Frances O’Connor will play the mother of a haunted child.
The Hollywood Reporter has the news that O’Connor will play the role of the woman who calls in the demonologist pair from the first film, Lorraine and Ed Warren, played by the returning Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, to help her daughter who is suffering some sort of haunting. O’Connor is far from a household name, but she does have some associated "mother of child in distress" experience, having played the role of Emily Hughes in The Missing for Starz a couple years ago. She also had a small role as Belle’s mother in ABC’s Once Upon A Time last season.
According to what we know of the actual Enfield Poltergeist, which is what the script for the movie is reportedly based on, O’Connor’s character will be based on (and possibly named) Margaret Hodgson. She had four children in London in 1977 and her two daughters claimed to have been stalked by a ghost. This story makes it sound like there will only be one child in the upcoming movie, and since the reported haunting seemed to focus on the 11-year-old daughter, the script may be cutting out some of the extra details.
The Conjuring 2 will actually be the third film in the franchise, as the spinoff Anabelle was released last year. The rights to the Warren’s cases have been the subject of court proceedings in recent months, so there was some question as to how quickly the direct sequel would be able to get made. The film originally had a release date of October, but that obviously didn't happen. It now looks like those issues have been squared away as the film is set to go into production later this month. In addition to the returning actors, director James Wan will also be returning to direct and produce the feature.
The Warren’s most famous case is still The Amityville Horror house, which we have yet to hear anything about in this series. Although, that particular story has been put to film more than once, so they may be intentionally distancing themselves from it, deciding instead to focus on the lesser-known cases. The Conjuring 2 is currently set for a release date of June 10, 2016.
