In the build-up to the release of The Conjuring: Last Rites, which Warner Bros. brought to theatres last month (you can read our 7/10 review at THIS LINK), we were being told that it was going to bring the Conjuring film franchise to an end (for now) – but the movie has earned more than $487 million at the global box office and is, by far, the highest-grossing film in the franchise, so it’s no surprise that Warner Bros. wants to get another movie into production sooner rather than later. Puck recently reported that the studio is already plotting a prequel, and at that time (three weeks ago), there was some doubt as to whether franchise producer James Wan would stick with the Conjuring Universe, as the studio was hesitant to go along with his demand for a pay increase. Apparently Warner Bros. and Wan have found a solution they’re both content with, because The InSneider now reports that the Conjuring prequel is moving forward with Wan on board to produce. The Conjuring: Last Rites co-writers Richard Naing and Ian Goldberg are working on the screenplay – and the project is already close to securing a director! Rodrigue Huart is said to be in talks to take the helm.
Huart previously directed the documentaries Is It Punk Music? A Year with Cassels and Are You Still Here?, as well as episodes of the French TV series Le monde magique de Jérôme Commandeur. He won the Midnight Short Jury Award at SXSW 2024 for his vampire short Transylvanie and made two short films that combined digital horror and found footage, Trigger and Real, which premiered at Fantasia 2024. Four months ago, we heard that he had signed on to direct Suffer Little Children, a remake of the 1976 film Who Can Kill a Child? that’s in the works at Paramount. That movie was supposed to be Huart’s narrative feature directorial debut, but it sounds like this Conjuring project might leap-frog in front of it.
Peter Safran will produce the Conjuring prequel for The Safran Company, while James Wan produces through his company Atomic Monster. Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear and Judson Scott will serve as executive producers alongside Natalia Safran and John Rickard.
The InSneider notes, “It’s unclear whether New Line intends to recast the roles of Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, though it certainly seems within the realm of possibility.”
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