The horror sequel The Conjuring 4 is in the works. The Hollywood Reporter has divulged that the movie will move forward with a screenplay written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who penned the upcoming superhero sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and co-wrote the original film. Johnson-McGoldrick is also a Conjuring vet, having written The Conjuring 2 and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, the past two installments of the main series.
James Wan is also back on board to serve as a producer for The Conjuring 4 alongside Peter Safran; the two have been with the franchise since the beginning. Franchise stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are also expected to return once again as Ed and Lorraine Warren. The duo has previously appeared in all three Conjuring films as well as the spinoff Annabelle Comes Home. As for what's next for the paranormal investigators, no details have yet been revealed on The Conjuring 4, though the sequel may take inspiration from one or more of the Warrens' real-life investigations.
The Conjuring 4 will mark the ninth installment of the series following The Nun 2, which is actively shooting in France. Altogether, the franchise has surpassed $2 billion in box office revenue, firmly standing as one of the most popular movie franchises in history. The last movie to be released, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, banked more than $206 million worldwide with a budget of less than $40 million. With fans still coming out to see the films, it was only a matter of time before progress began on the fourth chapter of the main series.
What Will Happen in The Conjuring 4?
"There are some really interesting case files in the '80s and, without giving any of those away, I think it's also interesting to see the Warrens more as these public figures under scrutiny, skeptics coming at them, them working with police departments," director Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The Nun 2) said of where the franchise could go next with the Warrens, via DevDiscourse. "What [The Devil Made Me Do It] hopefully does is open up this new chapter for the Warrens. This has a very unique ending to The Conjuring films. I would be excited to see where it could go from here. What could the Warrens get into? What's happened to their careers? I think there are so many possibilities."
The Conjuring 4 has not been given an official release date, but the franchise will first return when The Nun 2 hits theaters on Sept. 8, 2023.