‘The Conjuring 4’: Release Date Speculation, Cast, News, Plot, and More

The Conjuring movie franchise is set to make its last hurrah with The Conjuring 4. Following the success of its spinoffs, The Conjuring 4 promises to deliver one final scare for fans of the genre and of the films. Having been in development for quite some time, it looks like the upcoming project is finally picking up steam.

So what do fans need to know about The Conjuring 4? We’ve got you covered with all the details below!

The Conjuring 4 In the Works

The Conjuring Universe is expanding once again under New Line with The Conjuring 4. The upcoming project is seen as the final outing for the film series since the first The Conjuring came out in 2013. While most of the details are still under wraps, the upcoming film found its director in Michael Chaves.

Chaves directed the previous Conjuring film, The Devil Made Me Do It, which came out in 2021. He also directed its most recent spinoff, The Nun II. The screenplay is written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who co-wrote the third movie with franchise creator James Wan. Wan serves as a producer alongside Peter Safran.

Wan confirmed in an interview with Collider how The Conjuring 4 would be the final mainline film. The filmmaker explained that partly why he’s been considerate with the next movies in the franchise is out of his and his team taking their “time to make sure we get it ight 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 ight thing, the right story that we’re telling.”

The first Conjuring film in 2013 was a global commercial hit, gaining $320 million on a $20 million budget. Following its success, the studio New Line has brought together a Conjuring Universe, made up of the films and its spinoffs. Overall, the films have brought in $2.1 billion at the box office.

Who Will Star in The Conjuring 4?

Being the fourth and final Conjuring film, fans can expect Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga to reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren. Both Wilson and Farmiga have said they would love to come back.

“We constantly want to push these characters. I would like to – for no other reason than I would want to keep playing opposite Vera,” said Wilson.

Judy Warren, the daughter of the Warrens, may also likely come back for The Conjuring 4, but it remains to be seen who plays her. Sterling Jerins played Judy in the first two films. However, McKenna Grace replaced Jerins for Annabelle Comes Home.

It’s more likely that an entirely new cast of characters may be shown in The Conjuring 4 as the Warrens take on another case.

What Will The Conjuring 4 Be About?

The first three films mainly centered on the cases of real-life married paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. As for what The Conjuring 4 will be about, it’s unclear. The previous installment took place in 1981, however, so it’s likely that the fourth movie would also be set in the 1980s.

The Warrens were known to take on many cases during the 1980s that could serve as the inspiration for the upcoming film. One such case was that in 1986, that loosely inspired the 2009 movie The Haunting in Connecticut.

One possible case of the Warrens that The Conjuring 4 could be based on is the Smurl haunting. This case was investigated by the Warrens in 1986. There’s also the post-credits scene of The Nun II to consider as to what the fourth movie will be about.

The scene in particular showed the return of Ed and Lorraine Warren in their family home. They receive a call from Father Gordon. Judy is the one who takes the call and tells them that Father Gordon is calling about an emergency.

At first, it seemed like the scene was a flashback to the Warrens’ eventual exorcism of Frenchie that tied into the demonic Valak. But fans have spotted that the Judy in the scene is played by Sterling Jerins. This seems to confirm that it’s the teenage Judy, which meant the scene took place long after the exorcism that happened in the original Conjuring film.

What to Expect

In an interview with Slashfilm in September 2023, Chaves revealed how the post-credits scene of The Nun II ties the next film. However, Chaves revealed at the time that the script and final story of The Conjuring 4 was still being developed.

“I think that they’re still writing it. They’re still working on it. There’s definitely ‘Conjuring: Last Rites’ is coming,” said Chaves at the time. “And in terms of the exorcism of Maurice, that’s always been a center, a cornerstone marker in the timeline and I think it’s up to interpretation. It’s also, I think there’s a lot of things that need to align, so it could go a couple different ways. As an audience member, I would 100 percent see a crossover. I couldn’t give away what I know about what’s being developed, but I know that they’re going to end with a bang. I know that there is a great finale being planned for ‘Last Rites,’ and as to what or who’s in it…I don’t want to give away any spoilers.”

The Conjuring 4 Release Date Speculation & News

There’s no official release date yet for The Conjuring 4. Filming is expected to start in Atlanta in the summer of 2024. Production will take place under the film’s working title, “The Conjuring: Last Rites.”

Despite the upcoming movie being the final Conjuring film, it might not be the end of the franchise overall… We note this because in early 2023, Wan and Safran were developing a Conjuring TV series for Max. The story for the said series is expected to take place after the events of the films. However, it’s unlikely that Farmiga and Wilson may reprise their roles in a series format. It seems to leave the door open for new characters, but Farmiga and Wilson still could make appearances.

The possible Conjuring series may also follow the story that was previously set up in Annabelle Comes Home. Judy Warren was seen to have similar supernatural abilities as Lorraine, which could make her a possible lead. Aside from the series, the recent success of The Nun II also leaves the franchise open for continuation.

It seems more likely that The Nun would continue, given that the second movie seemed to set up a third. For now, fans can rewatch the first three films wherever it is available to stream.