Billion-Dollar Horror Franchise Announces New Sequel From DC Movie Writer
The Conjuring 4 is being written by Aquaman co-writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.
The Conjuring franchise has been incredibly lucrative for Warner Bros. Discovery, with the horror movie series grossing over $2 billion across eight entries in the universe of ghostly flicks. Filming is currently underway for The Nun 2, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio is moving forward with The Conjuring 4. The outlet recently learned that David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who penned the scripts for Aquaman and the forthcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, has been tapped to write the sequel.
Johnson-McGoldrick has a long history with Warner Bros. that dates all the way back to 2009 when he scribed the screenplay for Orphan. In addition to penning the scripts for Red Riding Hood and Wrath of the Titans for the studio, he previously wrote the screenplays for The Conjuring 2 as well as last year’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. The Conjuring 4 marks the eighth project the screenwriter has collaborated with the studio on.
James Wan and Peter Safran, who have been behind every entry in The Conjuring Universe, are set to return as producers on The Conjuring 4. Like Johnson-McGoldrick, Wan has an extensive history working with Warner Bros. In addition to directing 2013’s The Conjuring and last year’s Malignant, he helmed the $1 billion superhero flick Aquaman for the studio, and he’s back in the director’s chair for the hotly anticipated sequel, which is scheduled to release next December.
Plot details for The Conjuring 4 are currently under wraps, but just like previous installments in the franchise, the story is expected to be based on a real-life case file of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have portrayed the Warrens in every entry of The Conjuring series to date, and they also appeared in the spinoff Annabelle Comes Home. Although neither actor has been confirmed for the fourth movie at this time, the duo is expected to reprise their respective roles.
The announcement of The Conjuring 4 comes just over a year after The Devil Made Me Do It dominated the box office last June. The third entry was originally slated for a September 2020 release, but it was delayed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. When the sequel finally arrived in theaters, five years after The Conjuring 2, it opened at number one at the box office with $24 million, which is an impressive feat considering the film was simultaneously released on HBO Max.
The Devil Made Me Do It centers on one of the most bizarre cases in The Warrens’ files, where for the first time in U.S. history, a murder suspect claimed demonic possession as a defense. The film was praised for its shift in style from its two predecessors, but it’s currently the worst-reviewed entry in The Conjuring series, with a score of 56% from critics on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Although a release date has yet to be announced, we’re hoping we don’t have to wait another five years for The Conjuring 4.
