‘The Conjuring 3’ Possibly Delayed to 2021

As Hollywood continues to postpone movie releases, there is a chance that The Conjuring 3 could possibly be delayed until 2021. According to Deadline, the film is still currently scheduled to open on Sept. 11, but there are reportedly rumors that it may be moved. The outlet notes that the film’s studio, New Line has already earmarked June 4, 2021, for an “untitled horror film,” and speculates that it could be the new The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It.

The Conjuring Universe is made up of the main Conjuring films, as well as three Annabelle spinoffs, The Nun, and the loosely connected Curse of la Llorona. Collectively, the franchise has earned a revenue of nearly $2 billion. This makes it the second highest-grossing horror franchise ever, after Godzilla. There are currently “in-development” projects for a sequel to The Nun, as well as for a brand new spinoff for The Crooked Man, a ghostly character that was introduced in The Conjuring 2. There has also been discussions of a fourth Annabelle film.

The first two Conjuring films were directed by James Wan and written by brothers Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes, Notably, Wan and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick co-wrote The Conjuring 2 with the Hayes’. The Conjuring 3 will be a slight departure, however, as it is written by Johnson-McGoldrick and Wan, with Michael Chaves directing. Chaves previously directed The Curse of La Llorona.

Movie postponement is becoming more and more common as the weeks go on, due to the coronavirus pandemic. When cases started spiking in March, studios started pulling their films from the release calendar and shutting down productions around the world. This also coincided with movie theaters shutting down. The hope has been that theaters could reopen by early July, but that is beginning to look less likely, as Covid-19 cases have started increase around the nation.

Recently, Disney announced that it would be moving Mulan from July to Aug. 21, due to coronavirus concerns. Co-Chairman and CCO Alan Hord and Co-Chairman Alan Bergman issued a joint statement, saying, “While the pandemic has changed our release plans for Mulan and we will continue to be flexible as conditions require, it has not changed our belief in the power of this film and its message of hope and perseverance. Director Niki Caro and our cast and crew have created a beautiful, epic, and moving film that is everything the cinematic experience should be, and that’s where we believe it belongs – on the world stage and the big screen for audiences around the globe to enjoy together.”