Next year’s Halloween season will have at least one big franchise horror movie for lovers of the spooky season to look forward to. As reported by Variety, Warner Bros. recently did some pretty major shifting around with its release calendar. As part of that, they have set a date for The Nun 2, which will serve as the latest chapter in The Conjuring universe. Buckle up, as the demon nun Valak will make her return to the silver screen in September 2023.
The sequel to 2018’s The Nun will arrive on September 8 of next year, meaning it will be getting a prime fall theatrical release date, leading the way for the Halloween horror moviegoing season. Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona) is directing the sequel, which is said to be written by Akela Cooper (Malignant). Aside from that, very little has been revealed, but the sequel was confirmed by Warner Bros. during its CinemaCon presentation earlier this year. Apparently, things are moving in the right direction as it is now due to arrive in just over a year. No pressure.
That was far from the only horror news contained within WB’s schedule shifting, though. For one, we found out that the much-anticipated Evil Dead Rise, the first film in the series since 2013, is now getting a theatrical release in 2023. Lee Cronin’s installment was originally slated to arrive on HBO Max this year. Instead, we’re going to get the chance to see it on the big screen. In other news, the Salem’s Lot remake from director Gary Dauberman is now without a release date, leading some to question the studio’s plans for that one. Fingers crossed that it’s good news.
As for The Conjuring universe, it has been a steadily reliable moneymaker for Warner Bros. for going on a decade now. Director James Wan’s original 2013 hit grossed $317 million against a $20 million budget, paving the way for an entire cinematic universe of sequels and spin-offs. Amazingly enough, The Nun (despite being largely panned critically) stands above the rest as the highest-grossing entry in the franchise to date, taking in a whopping $363 million. Perhaps the only surprising thing at this point is that it took so long for the sequel to get made. But, if we’re lucky, we will get a similar glow-up to Annabelle/Annabelle: Creation, and it will have been worth the wait.
The Nun 2 hits theaters on September 8, 2023.
