While sequels – especially those in the horror genre – often fall victim to the law of diminishing returns, The Conjuring 2 appears to have bucked that trend, nearly matching its predecessor’s opening weekend haul and garnering similar acclaim from both critics and audiences.
With this goodwill at its back, fans are naturally beginning to wonder just how long it’ll be before The Conjuring 3 arrives to further scare the hell out of delighted moviegoers. Well, it turns out that fans aren’t the only ones thinking about this possibility, as series director James Wan already has some ideas on the matter.
During an interview with IGN that, Wan had the following to say about a potential third Conjuring film:
“[The Warrens] do have a lot of stories so I think, organically, if we’re lucky enough to tell future chapters, there’s a lot of stuff we could be pulling from. I do have something specific but I’m not going to say it. But I will say this – I do think Conjuring 1 and 2 are both set in the 70s, I think Conjuring 3 has got to be set in the 80s.”
Whether one believes that the instances of supernatural phenomena described by Ed and Lorraine Warren – played in The Conjuring films by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively – over their long careers as paranormal investigators really happened as recounted or not, there’s no doubt that the couple’s case files have served as terrific inspiration for the franchise so far, so it makes sense to tap that creative well yet again. The shift to an ’80s setting is also likely a good move, as the decade possesses a distinctive mood and societal atmosphere quite unlike any other time period in recent history – presenting Wan and company with an opportunity to once again go all out in recreating a different era of the past.
James Wan is currently busy preparing for Warner Bros. and DC Comics’ film adaptation of Aquaman as the film’s director but he’s also producing upcoming horror films such as Lights Out due July 21, 2016, Annabelle 2 out May 2017 and the spin-off to The Conjuring 2’s infamous Nun demon, The Nun.