Ed and Lorraine Warren’s retirement plans may have to be put on the back-burner. In light of The Conjuring 2‘s strong box office haul, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that New Line is cooking up a brand new spinoff movie entitled The Nun, this time revolving around the demonic reverend at the heart of the nerve-shredding sequel.
News that New Line is pushing full steam ahead with the horror franchise should come as no surprise. Indeed, director James Wan himself recently entertained the idea of crafting additional sequels under the Conjuring umbrella. That said, THR’s report reveals that both the studio, Wan and the returning Peter Safran are all attached to steer the offshoot off the beaten track.
Recruiting David Leslie Johnson to pen the screenplay, what makes The Nun so fascinating is that the title villain was a product of last-minute reshoots on The Conjuring 2, as up until the eleventh hour James Wan’s horror follow-up featured a story that teed up a supernatural battle between The Warrens and a malevolent horned demon.
Struck by a revelation, the filmmaker then presented an alternate cut of The Conjuring 2 to New Line and, following some last-minute alterations, resulted in the finished product that is now terrifying moviegoers across the globe. The Hollywood Reporter goes on to disclose some spoiler-sensitive story details, but let’s just say that certain scenes required digital alterations before the final cut was printed.
Buoyed by the barnstorming success of fellow spinoff Annabelle, which currently boasts an international haul of $256 million worldwide and a 2017 sequel, The Nun is the latest offshoot to be hatched at New Line.
For more on The Conjuring 2, check out our glowing review.