New Line is developing a “Conjuring 2” spinoff that will focus on the character of the Crooked Man, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Mike Van Waes will pen the screenplay from a story by James Wan, who directed the previous “Conjuring” films. “The Crooked Man” will be the next chapter in the universe and is the third character to gets its own standalone film, after Annabelle and The Nun.
Wan and Peter Safran will produce “The Crooked Man.”
Last June, New Line announced it would release “The Nun,” which will be directed by Corin Hardy and star Demian Bichir, Taissa Farmiga and Bonnie Aarons. It will be released on July 13, 2018.
Wan’s original 2013 film, which grossed $257 million worldwide on a budget of $6.5 million, spawned the 2014 spinoff “Annabelle” as well as the 2016 sequel “The Conjuring 2.”
“The Conjuring 2,” in which Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga play husband-and-wife paranormal investigators, debuted to $40.4 million domestically last June on a $40 million budget. Worldwide, its total has come to $320.3 million. The first “Conjuring” film had a production budget of $20 million and earned $318 million worldwide.
The franchise is poised to break $1 billion when the fourth film in the series, “Annabelle: Creation,” is released on August 11.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.