Wan shared this news via a recent post on his Instagram page that featured behind-the-scenes image of himself and The Crooked Man actor, Javier Botet in his full costume on the set of 2016’s The Conjuring 2. Wan stated his appreciation for Botet’s role in creating the scary character with his “almost supernatural movement” rather than CGI. In his words: Shortly after the release of The Conjuring 2, Warner Bros promised fans that a spin-off based on one of the creepiest creatures in the film, The Crooked Man, will be released. True to its words, the movie soon began development. Unfortunately, there was no real progress in its production until the studio’s recent decision to pull the plug on it. While this is disappointing, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans since the studio has given little to no update on the film since it started production over five years ago. The Crooked Man was adapted from the popular nursery rhyme “There was a crooked man” and was introduced in the second installment of The Conjuring series. Despite this discouraging news, fans of The Conjuring franchise can revel in the fact that there are still many films planned and on their way. The Nun 2, the sequel to another spin-off, is currently in production and is scheduled for a late 2023 release. The film will see Taissa Farmiga reprise her role as Sister Irene, who was the protagonist of the first movie. Other cast members are Anna Popplewell, Katelyn Rose Downey, Bonnie Aarons, and Jonas Bloquet. They play Kate, Sophie, Valak/The Nun, and Maurice Frenchie Theriault respectively. Also, The Conjuring 4 is currently in pre-production and there is currently no detail about the plot, director, or release date. However, we can confirm it will see the return of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren. Wan has had a long and illustrious career producing and directing horror flicks. Wan is the co-creator of the seminal movie series, Saw, along with Leigh Whannell. Wan’s other works include Dead Silence, Dead Sentence, and Insidious, among several others. Wan also co-created The Conjuring Universe alongside Peter Safran and they’ve both been involved in every movie in the franchise since its inception. Wan has also plied his art in non-horror genres. He served as director for the big-budget films Furious 7 and Aquaman. He will also direct the forthcoming sequel to Aquaman titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which comes out next Christmas. Unfortunately, The Crooked Man is not his only project to be placed on the chopping block this year with Netflix also pulling the plug on Archive 81 earlier in the year.
