The Conjuring 4 Will Be The Final Movie In The Main Franchise

After nearly three years of waiting, The Conjuring 4 has finally found its director and confirmed itself to be the last mainline movie in the franchise. Created by James Wan, the hit horror franchise has largely revolved around the various cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, real-life married paranormal investigators played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in the mainline movies and spinoffs. It was confirmed in late 2022 that a fourth Conjuring movie was in development with original screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick returning, though no director had been set.

The Hollywood Reporter has brought word that The Conjuring 4 has officially signed on Michael Chaves to direct the upcoming horror sequel. In addition to his signing, sources have confirmed that the movie, no longer subtitled Last Rites, will be the final mainline installment in New Line’s The Conjuring Universe, something that original director/producer James Wan has been hinting at throughout its development. A filming start window is slated for late 2024.

Everything We Know About The Final Conjuring Movie

Details Are Being Kept Under Wraps

Other than The Conjuring 4 being called the final installment of the main franchise, not much else concrete is known about the movie. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as the Warrens are the only cast members confirmed to appear in the story so far. It’s possible McKenna Grace could reprise her role as their daughter (she took over the role in Annabelle Comes Home after Sterling Jerins played her in the first two Conjuring movies), but it’s not clear if their daughter will even appear in the movie just yet.

Details of the plot are also unknown so far. The story is sure to be inspired by one of the Warrens’ real-life cases just as the other movies in the franchise have been so far. It’s likely there will be several new characters in the movie, and potentially, new haunted objects or places teased as potential spinoffs for the larger franchise. Each movie has, after all, tested the waters with more scary characters.

The Conjuring 4 is currently scheduled to release in September of 2025.

The Conjuring Universe Will Continue

There Is Still More In Development

With Wan having previously indicated it would be the final mainline installment, it may not come as a surprise to some that The Conjuring 4 has now been confirmed to be the end. Even aside from said comments, the sequel’s original working title had been The Conjuring: Last Rites, further cementing the thought it would be the last mainline movie. The mixed reception to The Devil Made Me Do It also led to concerns that the franchise had begun to wear out its welcome with critics and audiences.

Though it may be the end for the mainline franchise, the fourth movie doesn’t seem likely to be the end for The Conjuring Universe as a whole. It was reported in early 2023 that Wan and producer Peter Safran had begun development on a Conjuring TV show for Max, with the story expected to take place after the events of the movies. Though there hasn’t been a lot of forward movement on the show, the series is still in development for the streamer.

Given Farmiga and Wilson’s busy schedules, it remains unclear if they’d be able to reprise their roles of Lorraine and Ed in a series regular capacity, though they could very well make brief appearances. This could even lead to continuing the story set up by Annabelle Comes Home, in which Mckenna Grace’s Judy Warren was shown to have similar medium abilities to that of Lorraine, making her the potential lead for the show.

Even aside from the streaming title and The Conjuring 4, the recent financial and modest critical success of The Nun II has left the door open for the subfranchise to continue. The latter seems even more pertinent given its mid-credits scene served as a pseudo setup for the next movie, and further indicated a connection between Vera and Taissa Farmiga’s characters. Other spinoffs have been in development in the past, like The Crooked Man, that haven’t come to fruition, so it’s not clear just how many more are being worked on behind the scenes.

Source: THR