It looks like The Nun 2 will be a good and proper sequel as the original star is returning for more nun-based horror. As reported by the folks at Deadline, Taissa Farmiga is officially set to reprise her role as Sister Irene in the upcoming Conjuring universe sequel. She will be joined this time around by Storm Reid (The Suicide Squad), whose role has yet to be disclosed.
There is no word yet on how soon production will begin on the sequel, but one assumes it will be sooner rather than later. Warner Bros. has locked down a fall 2023 release date for the film. Michael Chaves, who helmed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, is in the director’s chair for this one. He also directed The Curse of La Llorona. Safe to say, Warner Bros. likes the guy, and he’s becoming a fixture of this franchise. Corin Hardy directed 2018’s The Nun. It’s not clear why Hardy isn’t returning this time around.
Whether or not Hardy is involved, one of the only surprising things about this movie is that it took so long for the studio to make it happen. The Nun was an absolute smash hit, taking in $363 million worldwide against a $22 million budget. The spin-off came about after the success of The Conjuring 2, which introduced us to the demon nun Valak, played by Bonnie Aarons. She will presumably be taking on the role once again for the sequel. Amazingly enough, of the eight Conjuring universe movies (which have grossed more than $2 billion collectively), The Nun remains the highest-grossing of the bunch. A sequel was always going to happen, it’s just amazing it took five years to get it done.
Akela Cooper (Malignant) penned the screenplay, with Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing handling some rewrites. James Wan and Peter Safran are on board to produce, with Michael Clear and Gary Dauberman executive producing. Wan directed The Conjuring as well as its sequel and has produced all of the spin-offs alongside Safran. To their credit, this cinematic universe is arguably the most successful one in Hollywood outside of Marvel’s. That is no small thing. We’ll see if they can keep the hot streak going next year.
The Nun 2 is set to hit theaters on September 8, 2023.
