'The Nun' release date, latest news: Corin Hardy tapped to direct 'The Conjuring 2' spinoff
The upcoming second spinoff to "The Conjuring" horror film franchise, titled "The Nun," now has a director.
According to Deadline, "The Nun" will be directed by filmmaker Corin Hardy. The director is known for his works in music videos, the animated short "Butterfly," and the horror film "The Hallow," which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
Hardy is also attached to direct the film remake of "The Crow," which will reportedly star Jason Momoa. However, the movie's future is currently up in the air while it looks for a new studio as the project parted ways with Relativity Studios.
New Line Cinema's "The Nun" will be the second spinoff from "The Conjuring" franchise after the release of "Annabelle," which also has a sequel arriving this year.
Written by Gary Dauberman and James Wan, "The Nun" will be based on the demonic nun Valak which appeared as the main supernatural antagonist in the movie "The Conjuring 2." Wan, as well as Peter Safran, will also serve as the film's producers.
As reported by ComingSoon, "The Conjuring" horror film franchise, along with the spinoff movie "Annabelle," has so far earned a combined amount of $895 million worldwide.
The first movie, "The Conjuring," was produced on a $20 million budget and was released in 2013 to earn $318 million worldwide. On the other hand, "The Conjuring 2" grossed $320 million globally against a $40 million budget. Producing "Annabelle" cost less than $7 million, but it went on to earn $257 million when it was released in 2014.
Not much information has been shared about "The Nun" ever since its development was announced, especially regarding its possible plot. As for when the movie will hit theaters, there are reports that it will be released at the beginning of next year, considering Wan's reputation of expediently launching movies from the film franchise he had created.
For now, "The Nun" has no official release date. On the other hand, "Annabelle 2," a sequel to a spinoff of the first "The Conjuring" movie, is set to hit theaters this year, on Aug. 11.