Warner Bros. Gets Serious About Beetlejuice 2, Confirms Conjuring 4 Title [CinemaCon 2023]
CinemaCon is underway in Las Vegas and while Sony kicked things off with a big presentation last night, it's Warner Bros. stepping up to the bat today. The studio is not messing around in making sure theater owners of the world know they have a lot coming down the pipeline, including two entries in beloved franchises. For one, the studio has indeed confirmed that "Beetlejuice 2" is in development and will seemingly, finally happen after nearly 35 years. Meanwhile, "The Conjuring 4" has been given a title that may be telling of where that series is headed.
During a sizzle reel that played to open up WB's panel, a title card for "Beetlejuice 2" was shown. No further information was revealed right away, but if they bothered to include that in the presentation right up front, it's clear that this project is finally headed in the right direction (for those who want to see a sequel, anyway). For what it's worth, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav made it clear that the company is going to lean into franchises in the future, and this is a sequel that has been stuck in development hell for ages.
We've also heard rumblings of this coming together behind the scenes, with "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega said to be in talks to star. Will Tim Burton return to direct? Will Michael Keaton return as the title character? These questions may well have answers very, very soon. But for now, we wait.
The Conjuring 4 gets an ominous title
Meanwhile, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson on screen for the past decade) will return in a new movie that now has a title. "The Conjuring: Last Rites" has been confirmed as the name for the fourth entry in the main series of films that spawned an entire cinematic universe, which has generated well over $2 billion at the global box office to date. Clearly, WB wants to lean into the name, as a TV series set in this universe was recently announced as well.
While plot details for the fourth film remain under wraps, that title may be telling. Longtime producer James Wan, who directed both "The Conjuring" and "The Conjuring 2," said last year that the upcoming entry may wrap up the cinematic story of Ed and Lorraine Warren. That's not to say spin-offs won't continue to happen, but Farmiga and Wilson's time in the franchise may be coming to an end. If that's true, "Last Rites" feels like a good title to help send them off.
Neither "The Conjuring: Last Rites" or "Beetlejuice 2" have release dates as of this writing, but we'll be sure to keep you posted.