One of the few shared universes that have managed to become successful besides the MCU is Universal’s Conjuring franchise. The Conjuring was a massive hit back in 2013 and has since spawned multiple spinoff series including Annabelle, The Nun and The Curse of La Llorona. Say what you will of the quality of them, but they’ve made Universal a lot of money.
So, it comes as no surprise that The Conjuring 3 will be arriving soon and according to writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, the sequel will not be just another haunted house movie like the two previous entries in the series.
He confirmed as much via a fan question on Twitter saying the new Conjuring will be a “completely different movie than the first two” and that “The franchise is expanding beyond the ‘haunted house’ formula.”
From what we know so far, the story will revolve around a murder trial with Ed and Lorraine Warren playing key roles in the investigation. Star Patrick Wilson’s echoed Johnson-McGoldrick’s sentiments about a new direction for the franchise as well and Vera Farmiga has teased a bigger movie than previously seen from the series.
While it will be refreshing to see The Conjuring going in a different direction, James Wan won’t be directing this time. Instead, Llorona helmer Michael Chaves is taking over, which is concerning considering that film was so poorly received. But at this stage, we’re inclined to give the studio the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this particular franchise.
In any case, horror movies will always be profitable as they’re cheap to make and don’t require a massive box office haul to turn a profit. The Conjuring 3 will be no different, of course, but we just hope that the high level of quality from the first two films is retained even despite Wan’s absence behind the camera.
