They're Making That Conjuring Prequel Movie Everyone Said They Weren't Making

Well, well, well. It turns out "Last Rites" had no deeper meaning whatsoever, because the Warrens are coming back to our screens. That's right, the idea that "The Conjuring" franchise would actually end was about as sound from a legal standpoint as saying the devil made you do something. That's because, despite threatening to end the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren and the greatest love story in horror along with it, a "Conjuring" prequel movie is already in the works, according to Variety.

Details are scarce and no deals have been finalized just yet, but short film director Rodrigue Huart is reportedly in talks to direct the movie, from a script by Richard Naing and Ian Goldberg (who wrote "The Conjuring: Last Rites" and the prior two films in the main series, as well as "The Nun II"). We don't know if the plan is to somehow bring back Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson for a book-end of sorts or a prologue, or if Madison Lawlor and Orion Smith will reprise the role of the young Warrens after playing them rather well in "Last Rites."

This news comes after it was already reported back in 2023 that Warner Bros. was working on a Conjuring Universe TV series for Max — now HBO Max once again. Granted, a "Conjuring" prequel makes perfect sense from a financial standpoint, given that "Last Rites" has grossed almost half a billion dollars at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise globally.

Now, it's important to note that, as of minutes before the writing of this article, entertainment journalists all over the world were led to believe that "The Conjuring" was truly over. "Last Rites" director Michael Chaves told ComicBook.com that the franchise "Is done. This is the final chapter. There's no other 'Conjuring' movies. It is absolutely the end."

In a separate interview, Chaves told The Hollywood Reporter "It's absolutely done. It's absolutely the end," like a man swearing the creepy doll in the poorly-lit basement is absolutely, unequivocally not possessed by an evil entity.

Was Chaves lying to the public the same way the Warrens have been accused of doing for decades? Was this secretly Annabelle's doing all along, trying to get everyone off the scent of this upcoming prequel announcement so she could be a star once again? Or was Chaves always telling the truth, from a certain point of view? In an interview with /Film, Chaves revealed the "Conjuring" team was inspired by "Logan" when making "Last Rites," a movie that very much felt like the final sentence in the X-Men story — but we all know managed to carry on in "Deadpool & Wolverine."

"I think there totally could be," Chaves told us when asked about more movies in the franchise. "I think the motto is always like, let the audience ask for more. And [...] I guess by the results they probably have!" Well, he wasn't wrong there!