The Conjuring series has proved to have some serious box-office staying power. From its first direct sequel through Annabelle and that film’s subsequent sequels, James Wan is building yet another sprawling horror universe from the producer’s chair, just as he also did via Insidious. Now, we’ve got the first teaser footage of the latest in the procession, Corin Hardy’s The Nun.
The titular Nun first appeared in 2016’s somewhat disappointing The Conjuring 2, a film that largely rehashed the Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) dynamic from the first film while moving the story to England. One part of the film that was well received by many horror fans, though, was the demonic nun character known as Valak. As such, it only made sense that the nun would eventually end up with a film of her own.
The Nun takes the storyline away from the more modern Ed and Lorraine stories and moves it to 1952 Romania, where a Catholic priest and a novice are sent by the Vatican to investigate the suspicious suicide of a nun at the Câr?a Monastery. It seems safe to say that this incident is probably the birth of “Valak,” as it were. Of interest is the fact that the novice seems to be played by none other than Taissa Farmiga—Vera’s much younger (21 years) sister. Could there be a familial connection in the plot as well?
The film is directed by English filmmaker Corin Hardy, who is largely known for his solid horror debut The Hallow from 2015. If for no other reason, Hardy’s sophomore film is reason to be cautiously optimistic for The Nun. The director was also supposed to be helming a Jason Momoa-starring remake of The Crow at some point in the near future, but the latest news suggested that he had dropped out of that project for the second time.
Check out the trailer below. The Nun hits theaters nationwide on Sept. 7, 2018.