The Conjuring franchise has officially come to an end following the release of Last Rites, which is confirmed to be the final entry in the long-running horror series. While many were speculating that The Conjuring could return in some capacity, director Michael Chaves has confessed that won’t be the case.
However, this doesn’t mean that the larger universe of The Conjuring has to end too. There are already several major spinoffs in the Conjuring franchise, and there have been even more projects rumored throughout the years. Warner Bros. executive Peter Safran even teased that a second phase of the franchise could be underway.
It’s unclear exactly what this second phase will look like, but if it’s anything like the first, audiences can expect to see plenty of iconic villains and spirits from the Conjuring movies return for their own stories. And without Ed and Lorraine Warren around to stop them, these spinoffs could end up being even more frightening than the originals.
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The Bride
The Bride appeared briefly in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, but didn’t have a particularly large role in the story. However, once that sequel had been released and Warner Bros. was considering how to push the franchise into the future, the character’s name was raised in several rumored discussions.
James Wan has frequently spoken about his desire to give rich, lengthy backstories to even the most unremarkable characters in the Conjuring franchise, and The Bride perfectly fits this description. Since so little is known about her, creatives would have a completely blank slate to work with. That can be incredibly exciting for both viewers and the people working on the film.
Gary Dauberman, the director of Annabelle Comes Home, admitted to Inverse, “I do have pages of pages on [The Bride’s] backstory. The way the dress haunts people who come into possession of it. I think that can be a really, really fun story to tell.“
This is certainly a fascinating idea; the only problem is that we know almost nothing about the Bride at this point. It could be hard to get audiences invested in a spinoff idea for a character whom they don’t already know. It’s worked before with projects like The Nun, but the recent conclusion of the Conjuring series makes it a much riskier play.
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Annabelle 4
There’s been no official comment about the prospect of Annabelle 4, but this seems like a very safe and reliable way of getting the franchise back on its feet after Last Rites‘ pretty definitive ending. A familiar face like Annabelle is more likely to get audiences in seats, and the previous movies have all performed well.
The time for The Conjuring to take risks will come, but that isn’t now. Annabelle is a reliable property that’s already made plenty of money for Warner Bros, and it’s been six years since the previous installment. As long as there’s an interesting story to tell, Annabelle 4 could be the perfect concept to keep this franchise alive.
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The Crooked Man
The Crooked Man has been the most elusive Conjuring spinoff for several years now. The тιтular character was first introduced in The Conjuring 2 and quickly became the subject of a highly-anticipated project that was ultimately shelved when Warner Bros. decided to prioritize the main saga of movies instead.
Little is known about the Crooked Man himself, but James Wan has often spoken about his vision for a dark, Gothic horror movie that would explore his origins and motives. The character left a mᴀssive impression after his debut, but something about this enigmatic Crooked Man sequel just never managed to get off the ground.
With the Conjuring movies officially finished, Warner Bros. now has the perfect opportunity to prioritize this spinoff and finally give the Crooked Man the story he deserves. It would be extremely vindicating to see the rumored project come to fruition after almost a decade of cancellations and setbacks.
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The Nun III
In many ways, the Nun movies are the blueprint of what makes the Conjuring spinoffs so successful. The тιтular character didn’t have a particularly important role in The Conjuring 2, but the writers clearly saw potential in her backstory and managed to transform her into one of the franchise’s most iconic villains.
The series is going to be in a tough spot over the next few years, but the return of the Nun is a hugely exciting prospect that would also bear the added benefit of being a reliable box office performer. The original movie still has the highest opening weekend of the entire franchise, and remains the second-highest grossing Conjuring movie ever (via Box Office Mojo).
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The Samurai
Alternatively, instead of relying on previous franchises to keep the Conjuring universe alive, the franchise could fully lean into the “Phase 2” idea and introduce a whole new wave of characters and storylines. There would need to be some connection to the previous movies, but there’s nothing stopping Wan from exploring whole new genres and styles, too.
In this case, the long-rumored The Samurai spinoff would be a perfect candidate. This project has been discussed for many years, and would supposedly tell the backstory of the haunted samurai armor that’s on display in the Warrens’ artifact room.
In the aforementioned interview with Inverse, Dauberman confessed that he’d discussed with Wan the idea of making a “slasher” film about the Samurai. This would be very different from the previous Conjuring spinoffs, and the beginning of “Phase 2” is the perfect excuse to begin this stylistic shift. It could breathe new life into the universe and bring in viewers who perhaps gravitate toward that style of horror.
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The Revenge Of La Llorona
The Revenge of La Llorona is one of the few Conjuring sequels that’s already been confirmed as the franchise shifts into its second phase, and it has the potential to be another huge hit for Warner Bros. The first La Llorona movie admittedly wasn’t as much of a box office success as the studio hoped, but the sequel could definitely break that trend.
Audiences are itching for a more distinct, self-contained piece of supernatural horror from the Conjuring movies after the conclusion of the main series, and that’s exactly what The Revenge of La Llorona can offer. This spinoff franchise doesn’t have many connections to The Conjuring at all, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
The Revenge of La Llorona was officially announced in October 2025, just weeks after the release of The Conjuring: Last Rites. It will reportedly be directed by Santiago Menghini and written by Sean Tretta, with Monica Raymund, Jay Hernandez, and Raymond Cruz starring in the lead roles.
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The Conjuring Prequel
Ever since it was announced that Last Rites would mark the departure of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga from the Conjuring universe, fans have speculated that the franchise could continue without them. A Conjuring prequel would allow the series to keep going without relying on these two actors to return.
In fact, the long-speculated Conjuring prequel seems to have caused some conflict between Warner Bros. and Wan. Puck News reports that while WB intends to move forward with this spinoff, creative differences and pay disputes mean it could happen without Wan, the franchise’s creator.
This definitely puts a spanner in the works, but the fact still remains that a Conjuring prequel would be an incredibly exciting way to breathe new life into this franchise and continue Ed and Lorraine’s legacy without relying on the same actors. It will take time to iron out the details, but this feels like a very natural step forward.
The Conjuring
- Created by
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James Wan
- First Film
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The Conjuring
- Cast
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Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, Madison Wolfe, John Noble, Ruairi O’Connor, Ward Horton, Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard, Tony Amendola, Anthony LaPaglia, Miranda Otto, Brad Greenquist, Lulu Wilson, Talitha Bateman, Grace Caroline Currey, Mckenna Grace, Taissa Farmiga, Bonnie Aarons, Demián Bichir, Jonas Bloquet
- Movie(s)
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The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, The Conjuring 3, Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, Annabelle Comes Home, The Nun, The Nun II
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