The Conjuring: Last Rites will mark the end of "phase one" as New Line aims to MCU-ify the horror franchise

New Line president and CCO Richard Brener has spilled the beans to THR that upcoming film The Conjuring: Last Rites, the fourth in the paranormal horror series, will mark the end of “phase one” of The Conjuring franchise, with the potential for a second phase lingering in the wings.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is the ninth film in the franchise overall, counting sequels and spin-off films, and it’s the fourth film in the core Conjuring series. Starring the returning Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren and Vera Farmiga as his wife Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring: Last Rites is said to be lighting up test screenings, potentially leaving plenty of room for a “phase two”.

“It’s testing through the roof and we’re only at the director’s cut, the 10-week part of the movie where you’re normally very, very scared about the status of your film,” says Brener. “We’re very early in the process, have very preliminary visual effects, but it’s already through the roof. So while this is the last of what we call phase one, we are hopeful that we can make more.”

Brener borrows the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “phase” structure in explaining what’s next for The Conjuring, saying “phase two is TBD.”

This leaves an open-ended possibility for future films based on and inspired by the tales of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, whose writings were adapted by director James Wan for the original Conjuring film. Many of their writings and investigations have been adapted into other stories as well, including The Amityville Horror, itself a lingering horror franchise, and the case of the so-called Enfield Poltergeist, which formed the basis of The Conjuring 2.

That original movie has since led to sequels The Conjuring 2, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, as well as the three-film Anabelle spin-off series, and The Nun, another horror franchise in the making.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is due out in theaters September 5. For more, check out our ranking of The Conjuring movies.

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