It's no secret that The Conjuring franchise has turned into one of the most intriguing horror franchises in existence. The series has spun off in broad range of different directions, with Annabelle and Annabelle: Creation anchoring the series away from its roots with Ed and Lorraine Warren. There are currently several other Conjuring spinoffs in development, including The Crooked Man and The Nun, but it looks like the Annabelle franchise is also set to return with screenwriter Gary Dauberman stepping behind the camera for Annabelle 3.
The Annabelle franchise has yet to lock down one specific filmmaker to guide its creative vision. John Leonetti directed the first movie and Lights Out director David F. Sandberg stepped in for Annabelle: Creation. Now, per a report from THR, it looks like Conjuring franchise screenwriter Gary Dauberman is officially going to step in for the third Annabelle film, which is set to premiere on the big screen next summer.
As far as credits go, there's a lot to be excited about Gary Dauberman's background and what he brings to the table as a horror writer. In addition to his work in the Annabelle franchise, he is also credited on IT, as well as The Nun and IT: Chapter 2. In layperson's terms: the guy knows his way around a scary movie.
For Gary Dauberman to step in and get behind the camera for an Annabelle movie actually makes quite a bit of sense. He's fundamentally linked to the sub-franchise as its writer, so he obviously has a clear connection to the material and the direction that he wants to take it. In a way, it actually feels somewhat similar to the X-Men franchise's recent decision to let Simon Kinberg get behind the camera for X-Men: Dark Phoenix, as Kinberg has spent years cutting his teeth as a writer and producer in the mutant world.
Ultimately we still don't know what a third Annabelle movie could even look like. Annabelle: Creation filled in the gaps of the franchise mythology, leaving little room to explore how the demonic presence made its way from the Mullins home to the Warrens in The Conjuring. That said, the on-screen appearances of Annabelle seem to get better and better with each passing film, so we're excited to see what Dauberman cooks up.
CinemaBlend will bring you more information related to the third Annabelle movie as more details related to the project are made available to us. Until then, make sure to mark the film's July 3, 2019 release date down on your moviegoing calendars, and check out our 2018 movie premiere guide to stay abreast of all of the biggest and best 2018 movie releases! As for the other projects in The Conjuring's ever-expanding universe, make sure to catch The Nun when it debuts later this year on September 7.
