The Conjuring: Last Rites Director Has A Theory About Why The Crooked Man Spin-Off Never Happened [Exclusive]

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Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga may be done playing paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren on the big screen following the release of "The Conjuring: Last Rites," but what about the larger Conjuring Universe? Is Warner Bros. really going to let this cash cow go? Certainly not. As for what the future holds, precisely? That remains to be seen but there's always the chance for more spin-offs such as "The Crooked Man," which was announced years ago but was later canceled. But why was it scrapped? And is there hope it could come back from the dead?

/Film's very own Jacob Hall recently had the chance to speak with director Michael Chaves in honor of "The Conjuring: Last Rites" arriving on VOD, with the 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD release set for November 25. (You can pre-order it now on Amazon.) During the conversation, Hall asked about the status of "The Crooked Man." While Chaves was tight-lipped, he did suggest a reason why it might have gone by the wayside. Here's what he had to say about it:

"'Crooked Man' is the question that everybody asks. It's strangely more recurring than if there's gonna be another 'Annabelle' sequel. I don't know, it's so fascinating. I know that there was a [planned spin-off], I think it just got some mixed reviews. I always loved Crooked Man. I think some people thought it was CG and rejected it, and it was absolutely not. It was that amazing creature performer [Javier Botet]. But, yeah, it's no comment. I don't know, I guess!"

As Chaves noted, people believed the Crooked Man character, who first appeared in 2016's "The Conjuring 2," was a CGI creation. Rather, he was portrayed by Javier Botet and later enhanced with some VFX magic.

According to Chaves, the mixed reception to the character may have killed the project. That said, it's worth remembering that "The Nun," a spin-off from "Conjuring 2," was for a long time the biggest movie in The Conjuring Universe overall. It made a truly amazing $366 million at the box office. It was only recently dethroned by "Last Rites," which has made $475 million and counting.

The point is, Warner Bros. is going to want to continue the franchise in some way, and developing more spin-offs seems like a logical way to make that happen. 2014's "Annabelle" was a smash success that made $257 million against a super tiny $6.5 million budget. This is a play that the studio has executed several times already with stellar results. One could perhaps argue that the window of opportunity for "The Crooked Man" has passed. Or has all of that time just made people hungrier for it? What's clear is that moviegoers still love this universe, so there is an audience for it, in theory.

Chaves did leave it at "no comment," which suggests there might be some rumblings on that front. Conjuring Universe architect James Wan did say earlier this year that he wanted to revive "The Crooked Man." And if he wants to see it happen, there's a decent chance he could convince the brass at Warner Bros. to get it done, especially in light of the most recent entry in the franchise doing such big business. Not to get anyone's hopes up unnecessarily, but this project doesn't seem as dead as it did a few years ago.

You can rent or buy "The Conjuring: Last Rites" on Amazon Prime Video now.