While The Conjuring Universe is one of the most popular canons running in the horror world, it’s one of its spinoffs from the core series that has been the biggest hit. Corin Hardy’s The Nun is still the highest grossing entry in the entire Warner Bros./New Line franchise, despite some ranking it among the lesser entries quality-wise. Yet the world is still wondering if The Nun 2 is actually going to happen, and according to star Taissa Farmiga, the jury is definitely still out.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in promotion of her role in HBO’s original drama The Gilded Age, Farmiga was asked about whether or not the continuing adventures of Sister Irene are still in the works. With development on a sequel being teased and announced since the 2018 feature opened with a bang, it’s starting to feel like The Nun 2 is one of those sequels that lives on the bubble. According to Taissa Farmiga,
There have definitely been whisperings and talks in the last year. But the pandemic has obviously affected everything including filming and such. So I heard mentions of it back in the fall, maybe, and there were talks of potentially trying to see what my availability was. But I also haven’t seen a script. So I haven’t heard anything definitive or anyone say, ‘Hey, this is going.’ So I don’t know, but I would love to go back and visit Sister Irene. It’s been years.
After The Nun’s ending dovetailed into The Conjuring, connecting its story of Valak the Defiler with that of Vera Farmiga’s Lorraine Warren, another thread in the overall story was woven. This isn’t the only teased spinoff in The Conjuring Universe that’s been stalled out after such promising beginnings. In the more bullish days of the saga, both The Nun 2 and the previously announced The Crooked Man spinoff were in the works. However, with diminishing returns visiting both Annabelle Comes Home and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, one could see why the entire series might be on pause the moment.
Then again, this could also be the perfect sign that The Nun 2 needs to move forward. If there was any splinter of The Conjuring legacy that represented a potential way forward, it’s The Nun 2. Both untapped enough to be fresh, but enough of a hit to indicate fans want more, this religious terror might be the dark savior this horror playground needs.
For now, Taissa Farmiga’s hopeful update is the most we have on the matter, with fingers crossed that Warner Bros and New Line might get something into the works in the near future. While it might scare some that The Nun 2 might not be happening, that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of frights in the pipeline.
The upcoming horror movies of 2022 and beyond are all assembled in a handy guide to ward off a world without cinematic fear. Those of you hoping to revisit The Nun and almost all of The Conjuring Universe movies should subscribe to HBO Max, as that’s the place to be to keep up with the Warrens.