The cast of The Conjuring: First Communion continues to grow. Just weeks after New Line announced that Garrett Wareing and Amanda Fix would be playing younger versions of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, a new report from TheWrap reveals that Charles Parnell, Marta Kessler, and Caleb Dolden have officially joined the supernatural horror prequel.
The trio joins an ensemble that already includes Wareing, Fix, and Matthias Schweighöfer. While the identities of the newly announced characters remain a secret, the additions show that the project remains on track for its September 10, 2027 theatrical release.
The Conjuring: First Communion will tell an early story centered on Ed and Lorraine Warren, years before the events of The Conjuring (2013), where the paranormal investigators were portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga (who returned for all of the sequels).
New Line has yet to reveal plot details, but the film will focus on the younger versions of the Warrens as they begin the journey that eventually turns them into the world’s most famous paranormal investigators.
Rodrigue Huart is directing the film from a screenplay by Richard Naing and Ian Goldberg, the writers behind The Conjuring: Last Rites. Franchise architects James Wan and Peter Safran are producing through Atomic Monster and The Safran Company, with John Rickard, Natalia Safran, Romel Adam, Michael Clear, and Judson Scott also involved behind the scenes.
Among the new cast members, Charles Parnell is the biggest name. He’s well known for his performances in Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, The Killer, The Mandalorian, and The Last Ship.
Joining him are rising young actors Marta Kessler, who earned a Children’s & Family Emmy nomination for The Mysterious Benedict Society and also appeared in The Santa Clauses, and Caleb Dolden, who horror fans may recognize from Peacock’s Teacup, produced by Atomic Monster.
Although The Conjuring: Last Rites was promoted as the conclusion of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s storyline, it proved there is still audience interest in the franchise. The film earned nearly $500 million worldwide on a $55 million budget.
Since launching with James Wan’s original The Conjuring in 2013, the franchise has expanded to include four mainline films, the Annabelle trilogy, both The Nun movies, and The Curse of La Llorona. Combined, the films have generated more than $2.7 billion worldwide, making the Conjuring Universe the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time.
A television expansion is also in development, with Nancy Won attached as writer, executive producer, and showrunner for a streaming series set within the franchise.
What do you think of the latest additions to the cast of The Conjuring: First Communion? Are you looking forward to seeing the younger Ed and Lorraine Warren take center stage? Let us know in the comments below.