How Does The Nun 2's Final Scene Set The Stage For The Conjuring 4? We Asked The Director
This article contains spoilers for "The Nun II."
The events of "The Nun II" pick up four years after "The Nun," with Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) called once again to assist with taking down the demon Valak (Bonnie Aarons) following a string of priest murders throughout Europe. Unfortunately, Sister Irene doesn't know what audiences who saw the previous film already do, which is that Valak has been using Maurice "Frenchie" Theriault's (Jonas Bloquet) body as a vessel, as proven by the inverted cross embedded in his skin. When we catch up with Frenchie, he's started working at a girl's boarding school as a handyman, and in a will-they/won't-they relationship with one of the teachers, Kate (Anna Popplewell). He's become somewhat of a father figure to her daughter, Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey), and has built a wonderful life for himself. Alas, Valak refuses to stay contained for long, and Sister Irene and her new compatriot Sister Debra (Storm Reid) must face off with the demon to save the world, hopefully without killing Maurice in the process.
Luckily, the good Sisters succeed, and Maurice ends the film in the embrace of Kate and Sophie. It all seems like a happily ever after for ol' Frenchie, but those who have paid attention to the timeline of The Conjuring Universe should know that this is the beginning of an inevitable tragedy. "The Nun" films are the earliest entries in The Conjuring Universe, and there's plenty of destruction ahead. Sadly, we've already known since the very first film where Frenchie's story was heading, and with "The Nun II" ending on a seemingly optimistic note, it sets the stage for the devastating events of "The Nun III," if not "The Conjuring IV."
An excellent day for an exorcism
"The Conjuring" centers on the unexplained events plaguing the Perron family after they moved into a secluded farmhouse. Mother Carolyn (Lili Taylor), husband Roger (Ron Livingston), and their five daughters experience a supernatural presence that escalates as time goes on, inspiring Carolyn to seek out the assistance of famed demonologists Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren. Carolyn's introduction to the two takes place at a university seminar in Wakefield, Massachusetts, where the couple show footage of an attempted exorcism on a projector.
Ed describes the victim as a French-Canadian farmer with "a third-grade education at best," and was known to have been abused by his father. He says that the man was possessed by Valak, who would recite Latin through the man and display upside-down crosses in various parts of his body, including the stomach. Lorraine Warren is attuned to supernatural forces, and as we learn in "The Conjuring 2," was grabbed in the middle of the exorcism, which caused her to see the true face of Valak, filling her with so much fear that she locked herself in her bedroom for over a week.
However, during the lecture in "The Conjuring," a student asks the Warrens what became of Maurice. Ed explains in a matter-of-fact manner that Maurice tried to kill his wife but luckily ended up only shooting her in the arm, but then tragically turned the gun on himself. It can be assumed that his wife is Kate from "The Nun II," meaning we're going to have to see a heartbreaking story between Kate, Sophie, and Maurice when Valak returns once again. Poor Frenchie can't catch a break.
The Nun III or The Conjuring IV?
During that same lecture, a different student asks if Ed and Lorraine conducted the exorcism themselves, to which they explain they've only ever assisted as they're not permitted to conduct them on their own. This implies that perhaps they will be uniting with someone actually trained in the art of the exorcism, like Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and presumably Sister Debra (Storm Reid). In order to connect the story of "The Nun" films to that of the start of "The Conjuring" films, there either needs to be a third "Nun" movie focused primarily on the return of Valak and the torment of Maurice before the Warrens arrive, or their stories need to culminate with the Warrens and Sister Irene attempting to save Maurice ... and failing.
Knowing that Maurice is not going to survive his final possession by Valak, it seems odd for this story to become "The Conjuring IV," because it would mean the timeline could end with "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," which had an ambiguous ending insinuating future cases. However, "The Nun III" covering Maurice's demise and the Warrens failing would be the perfect buffer to lead into a comeback "The Conjuring IV" film, which could potentially cover cases like The Snedeker House, The Smurl Family, and the "White Lady" ghost of the Union Cemetery. Sort of like how "Avengers: Endgame" was the success story following The Blip of "Avengers: Infinity War."
The Snedeker House hauntings were the subject of the film "The Haunting in Connecticut," while the Smurl Family hauntings were turned into a Golden Globe-nominated made-for-TV movie called "The Haunted," so while not a part of The Conjuring Universe, they should probably be treated like the events of "The Amityville Horror" and referenced, but not featured. That said, the Union Cemetery events have yet to be explored, and as the last high-profile documented investigation of the Warrens, this could be a fitting end to their story and the franchise.
What director Michael Chaves has to say
During an interview with /Film's own Jacob Hall, "The Nun II" director Michael Chaves discussed the possibility of what comes next for the franchise. "I think that they're still writing it. They're still working on it," he said. "There's definitely 'Conjuring: Last Rites' coming." Plot details have not been revealed as the script is still in the early stages (and on pause as both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are on strike following the AMPTP's failure to negotiate a fair contract), but it was Chaves' follow-up comment, however, that has me thinking I might be onto something with a third "Nun" film in addition to the final "Conjuring" flick, at minimum.
"And in terms of the exorcism of Maurice, that's always been a center, a cornerstone marker in the timeline and I think it's up to interpretation," said Chaves. "It's also, I think there's a lot of things that need to align, so it could go a couple different ways." Thinking about things needing to "align" sounds a whole lot like needing to get the pieces in place to fulfill Maurice's story in order for the Warrens to finally close the book on their own. Hall asked Chaves about the possibility of a The Conjuring Universe film where all of the stories come together, and his response, while vague, is pretty telling.
"As an audience member, I would 100 percent see it," he said. "I couldn't give away what I know about what's being developed, but I know that they're going to end with a bang." To me this sounds a full-tilt The Conjuring Universe movie is precisely where the series is heading, but that Chaves is not the one making it. In this writer's opinion, there's no such thing as too much Conjuring Universe or too many adventures with the Warrens, so whatever the creative team has planned, I'll be ready, ticket in hand.