As a producer, James Wan remains actively involved in each new Conjuring Universe installment, but as a director, the Aquaman helmsman has kept away from the franchise since 2016’s The Conjuring 2. And if the filmmaker’s recent comments to CinemaBlend are anything to go by, then it could be a long wait before Wan gets round to helming another entry in the ever-expanding cinematic universe.
While promoting the imminent release of Annabelle Comes Home, Wan shared a few thoughts on the likelihood of directing a future Conjuring movie. And while the producer didn’t seem completely closed off to the idea, he also claimed to see value in handing the franchise over to younger, up-and-coming filmmakers:
“Listen, I never say no to anything. That’s what I’ve learned. It’s great, but I actually… I love discovering new, young filmmakers, upcoming filmmakers. These movies really allow these filmmakers the opportunity to play in our world.”
From Saw to Insidious to Aquaman, Wan has helped kick off many a popular film series, but has never stuck around to direct more than two entries in any given franchise. It’s a consistent pattern that James himself has acknowledged, telling CinemaBlend that he’s never felt the need to helm an entire trilogy:
“That’s not me. It’s weird, everyone wants me to do the full trilogy thing. I’m like, ‘You’re lucky enough to get me to come back to do the second one,’ A, and B, usually by the time I get to Number 2, I always feel like I’ve said all I need to say and I’m ready to move on. I’m ready to move on to start something new, do something else that excites me. That’s how it’s always been for me.”
Indeed, for next year’s The Conjuring 3, Wan has handed the reins over to Michael Chaves, who recently found box office success with The Curse of La Llorona. The upcoming trilogy-maker is currently in production, and is scheduled to hit theaters on September 11th, 2020. Before that, however, the Warren family returns with the release of Annabelle Comes Home on June 26th of this year.
As for Wan, the producer has a very busy future lined up, which includes a Mortal Kombat reboot and a new adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot. When he’ll next direct a feature remains to be seen, but there’s every possibility that Warner Bros will convince Wan to return for Aquaman 2.