The next installment of The Conjuring Universe is coming soon. The Nun 2, a sequel to 2018’s The Nun, is set to come to theaters next fall.
The first Nun film followed nuns at a monastery in 1950s Romania as they contended with an unholy force. Valak, the demon at the center of the film, originated in 2016’s The Conjuring 2. Now, the sequel will reportedly see Sister Irene, the lead from the first film, encounter Valak the demon once again.
As the ninth overall installment in The Conjuring Universe, the film may connect the Nun universe back to the main chronology, establishing what happens prior to Valak’s appearance in the second Conjuring film. With that, let’s look at everything we know now about The Nun 2. What can we expect from the story, and how will it tie back into The Conjuring? Who is reprising their roles from previous installments, and will any new cast members join them? When and where can we see the film when it is released? And what else should audiences know about The Nun 2, the next chapter of The Conjuring world?
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The Nun 2: The Plot
Warner Bros. Pictures
The main Conjuring films center on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they investigate supposed demonic hauntings based on allegedly true events. The Annabelle spin-off series runs alongside the main films, showing the journey of the haunted doll as she plagues various people. Now it seems like New Line Cinema is setting up a third franchise with a sequel to The Nun.
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The first film is centered on a nun named Sister Irene, who travels with a priest named Father Burke to investigate a nun in a Romanian monastery who took her own life. They soon discover that a demon named Valak is haunting the abbey and possessing the bodies of those who live there. By the end of the film, Valak had not been defeated, setting up a new confrontation in the sequel.
While concrete details are still under wraps, the casting announcements have given audiences a general idea of what we can expect. The sequel picks up in 1956, four years after the first film, and moves the setting to France from Romania. There, a priest is murdered, and Sister Irene comes face to face with Valak once again. While this isn’t much to go on, it does tease a new battle between Irene and Valak and a fight between good and evil.
However, as the filmmakers approach the story, one of their biggest tasks is tying the story into the primary Conjuring timeline. What happens to Valak in the time between The Nun 2 and its encounter with the Warrens in The Conjuring 2?
Additional details will likely be revealed closer to the release date.
The Nun 2: The Cast
James Wan/Instagram
As of this writing, there is just one cast member confirmed to be returning, Bonnie Aarons as Valak. Aarons first appeared as Valak in 2016’s The Conjuring 2. Here, Valak was allegedly the demon behind the Amityville Horror murders. Aarons reprised the role in The Nun, set 25 years before the events of The Conjuring 2, and a brief uncredited cameo in 2017’s Annabelle: Creation.
Interestingly, while the synopsis tells us that Valak will face off with Sister Irene once again, Taissa Farmiga has not been confirmed to reprise her role as Irene. Farmiga admitted that she has been approached about the possibility of returning, though nothing is set in stone. If Farmiga does not return, the team may need to recast her or find someone new to face off with Valak.
Side note, Taissa Farmiga is the real-life younger sister of Vera Farmiga, who plays Lorraine Warren in the franchise. Maybe that real-life relationship could be a way to tie the characters together. After all, Sister Irene has no part in The Conjuring films, so what happened to her after The Nun?
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Per JoBlo, a casting call has revealed two additional roles the production team is looking to fill, though neither has an actor attached yet. The first is that of a 10-year-old girl named Sophie, a student at St. Mary’s School in France. She forms a friendship with Frenchie (seemingly hinting at Jonas Bloquet also reprising his role from the original), who is one of her only allies against the school bullies. Her life is further complicated by the arrival of mysterious demonic forces.
The film is also casting for Antoinette, the 14-year-old leader of the group of bullies at St. Mary’s School who torments Sophie and others. We can expect confirmation of these roles, as well as news about other returning stars from the first film, in the coming weeks.
Release Date
The Nun 2 will be theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema in the United States on September 8, 2023.
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