New Line Cinema
The Conjuring franchise has been a juggernaut having grossed almost $2 billion against a combined budget of around $140 million for the seven films that have been released.
The main series centers on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and some of the most disturbing cases they encountered in their over 50 years of work.
Movie spin-offs including three Annabelle movies, along with The Nun and The Curse of La Llorona, also delve into the backstories of a few of the Warrens’ most famous cases.
Actor Patrick Wilson has played Ed Warren in the first two Conjuring films and is back one more time having already shot The Conjuring 3, currently expected to be released on September 11, 2020.
While discussing his new film Midway with The Hollywood Reporter, Wilson talked about what it was like filming a third film in The Conjuring Universe as well as what fans can expect in the next installment with director of the first two films, James Wan, moving to the producer’s chair.
I knew going into it that James had a real strong hand in the story and script, and I talked to him a lot about it. Then, once I met [director] Michael Chaves, his energy, his skillset and his passion for it was really infectious. I knew that he was gonna take the reins, both with great respect, but still as its own passion.
The process was fantastic, and it’s a much different feel. It’s still the same bones; it’s still very much Ed and Lorraine. Again, we are pushing our characters to places they haven’t gone, but the film will be a really nice addition because it’s definitely a different beast. Pun intended. It was exciting; it was really, really exciting.
Because of the spinoffs, when you come back to the flagship movies, I want to feel like, “OK, now we’re back in the Conjuring world.” There’s a different weight to those movies just in scope alone, budget, time to shoot it and all that stuff. It’s got great producers, and honestly, a super happy and supportive studio. So it’s a lot of positivity even though you’re dealing with a lot of negative demons. I can’t wait.
I actually saw James yesterday; I went down to visit him on his set [Malignant]. They keep it away from him because he’s working, and they’ll keep it away from me for a while as well, obviously. I’m just excited to see it. We do our part, and then we’ll see what they come up with. I just like to give them some options.
Also during the lengthy interview, Wilson briefly discussed what little he knows about the forthcoming Aquaman sequel (“I have a few ideas of where Orm fits in, but I’m not gonna talk about them.”), his new Netflix horror film In The Tall Grass , and whether we’ve actually seen that last of the Insidious movies (“I don’t know where they would want to go with the series, but I never close any doors.”).
In other Conjuring-related news, the writers of the first two films are developing a new horror franchise based on a tale American Horror Story fans are familiar with: the infamous LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans.