James Wan Suggests The Conjuring 4 Could Be The Last Movie In The Franchise
Creating a successful horror franchise is no easy task, but James Wan has struck gold with "The Conjuring" saga. Inspired by the cases of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (as portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively), the chillers might be questionable when it comes to their "true story" elements. However, there is no denying their effectiveness as entertaining horror flicks. Will "The Conjuring 4" continue that trend?
The first "Conjuring" movie tells the story of a family whose rural farmhouse is haunted by a supernatural entity. The Warrens are called in to solve the case, only to discover that the evil that dwells there isn't willing to go down without a fight. The follow-up, "The Conjuring 2," sees the Warrens stop by the infamous Amityville horror house before traveling to London to help a single mother save her children from demonic possessions and an unwanted houseguest. Finally, "The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It" pits the paranormal investigators against the American legal system as they set out to prove that demonic activity inspired a man to commit murder.
Every film in "The Conjuring" series has made serious bank at the box office and been generally well-received by moviegoers, so Warner Bros. Pictures is undoubtedly interested in making more. According to Wan, however, "The Conjuring 4" might be the saga's final entry.
The Conjuring 4 will honor the legacy of the Warrens
James Wan isn't interested in producing more "Conjuring" sequels for the sake of it. The filmmaker has too much respect for the Warrens and the universe he's built around their cases to churn out mindless sequels. During a recent interview with Collider, the horror maestro confirmed that "The Conjuring 4" is still a work in progress and explained why he and his team aren't rushing to bring the fourth installment to fruition.
"Yeah, we are working on it right now. With the Conjuring films, we are very precious about [them]," Wan" revealed. "And so we kind of want to just take our time to make sure we get it right and to make sure the emotion of the Warren stories that we want to tell, and moving into, and potentially wrapping up, we just want to make sure that it's the right thing, the right story that we're telling."
It sounds like Wan and co. are focused on making a movie that lives up to the quality of its predecessors, which is admirable. However, while "The Conjuring 4" might be the final movie in the main series, it doesn't necessarily spell the end of this cinematic universe.
The Conjuring franchise will live on through spin-offs
"The Conjuring" franchise has mastered the art of the backdoor pilot. Every movie in the main series has featured a cameo from a memorable spook — ranging from killer dolls to nightmarish religious figures — that goes on to star in its own spin-off series. As such, the universe will likely live on in the form of spin-offs after "The Conjuring 4."
As of this writing, the "Annabelle" series has produced three movies. Elsewhere, "The Nun" will unleash its second installment later this year. It remains to be seen if there will be a follow-up to "The Curse of La Llorona," but the film did gross over $100 million at the box office, so one can never rule out the possibility. Unfortunately, James Wan's "Crooked Man" feature is no longer happening, but the project may be revisited down the line.
Furthermore, "The Conjuring 4" will undoubtedly introduce another spooky entity that haunts the nightmares of fans all around the world. If that happens, who's to say that the demon in question won't be given the spin-off treatment as well?