What is The Conjuring 4 release date? When it comes to modern horror franchises, few are as successful or well-known as James Wan's creation The Conjuring, which follows paranormal investigators fighting for their lives – all loosely based on 'real-life' spooky accounts.
The Conjuring fans have, so far, been blessed (or cursed) with three main Conjuring movies and six spin-off ghost movies. All of these have just added to the IP's popularity despite making watching The Conjuring movies in order a little more difficult. The last film in the franchise, The Nun 2, wasn't the best flick in the timeline (read our The Nun 2 review for more on that), but it still left us dying for more of the best horror movie series. Let's be honest; everyone is anxious to see what demon and unsuspecting family will collide next.
Now, like Lorraine and Ed Warren, The Digital Fix has done its research and is ready to investigate all the details about the upcoming new movie in The Conjuring-verse. From The Conjuring 4 release date, plot, cast, and more, here is everything you need to know about the next spooktacular adventure.
The Conjuring 4 release date speculation
After being confirmed in October 2022, we're expecting The Conjuring 4 to release in the first half of 2025.
However, the movie (which is actually called The Conjuring: Last Rites) hasn't been given an official release date and could be majorly delayed by Hollywood's recent strikes.
Like several ongoing movies, the film has reportedly shut down production while the 2023 Actors Strike is being resolved. Even with that taken into account, we think the 2025 release window could still be realistic, but if the strikes continue into next year, it is unlikely that filming will begin in 2024 — pushing the date possibly into 2026 or even later. Stay tuned for updates!
What will The Conjuring 4 be about?
The Conjuring: Last Rites will probably either follow on from the events of the last main movie in the franchise, The Devil Made Me Do It, or be a prequel movie that deals with the Warren's exorcising Maurice (from The Nun fame) before the events of the first Conjuring movie.
So, let's break down both options. The last movie in the main franchise, The Devil Made Me Do It, concluded in 1981 after the trial of Arne Johnson. So it makes sense that the couple's next adventure will be one of the cases that were taken on after that year (we all love a chronological timeline, don't we?).
The most likely notable investigation after 1981 that the upcoming movie could be based on is the Snedeker house of 1986: a funeral home infested with demons that resulted in a family being haunted. Another investigation by the Warrens could be the Smurl haunting, where Jack and Janet Smurl alleged that a demon was living in their home until 1989.
The last film introduced us to The Occultist, who, despite not surviving the film, did remind us of a certain cult in The Conjuring-verse – as she was a member of The Disciples of Ram. The Disciples of Ram, before The Conjuring 3, were only mentioned briefly in the franchise– their general goal is that they aim to summon more demons into the world. This leads us back to Valak and the lore we learned from The Nun 2, which could also mean a prequel movie is coming.
If you've watched all of The Conjuring movies, you know that the Warrens meet Maurice in the late '60s, when Valak possessed him once again. This is an important event in the timeline and may mean we are getting a full movie dedicated to the pivotal moment. We could also see The Disciples of Ram pop up again since Valak was banished in The Nun 2 and needs some help getting back into his host.
However, all this plot speculation is just speculation. The Conjuring 4's story is being kept under wraps. In fact, while speaking with SlashFilm The Nun 2 Director Michael Chaves teased that the new film can go either way when it comes to a prequel or sequel.
"I think that they're still writing it. They're still working on it. There's definitely "Conjuring: Last Rites" is coming," he said. "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. It's also, I think there's a lot of things that need to align, so it could go a couple different ways."
Who is in The Conjuring 4 cast?
You can't have a Conjuring movie without our main ghost-hunting couple – the Warrens and with that in mind, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will most likely be back as Ed and Lorraine Warren, ready to uncover another supernatural mystery.
However, there haven't yet been any official announcements, and the rest of the cast remains a mystery. If you're looking for our thoughts though, we expect to see Sterling Jerins return as Judy Warren, Ed and Lorraine's daughter.
Jerins, despite being re-cast for the 2019 film Annabelle Comes Home, appeared as the character once again in the 2021 thriller movie The Conjuring 3. So, fingers crossed she makes a comeback in The Conjuring 4, too.
With The Nun 2's post-credit scene, we also saw that Warrens had got the call to help Maurice. So even if the new film doesn't backtrack to the '60s, we bet we'll see Jonas Bloquet as Maurice again — either as a main player or as a flashback.
Here is the expected The Conjuring 4 cast:
- Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren
- Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren
- Sterling Jerins as Judy Warren
- Jonas Bloquet as Maurice
And finally, we have to talk about the fact that the Warrens won't be alone in the upcoming film. There will be a slew of new characters as the duo takes on a new case. In the past, we have seen the likes of Joey King, Joseph Bishara, and Steve Coulter join The Conjuring family, so our expectations for new talent are high.
Is there a trailer for The Conjuring 4?
There is no trailer for The Conjuring 4 yet, and there probably won't be until filming kicks off. So that means if delays due to strikes continue, we're likely only getting teasers in 2025.
However, this could always change depending on whether a fair deal between the writers, actors, and studios can be made sooner than expected. Right now, it looks like strikes will continue until 2024, but Hollywood could still surprise us and break these bleak expectations.
We'll keep you updated as more news heads our way. In the meantime, The Nun 2 is finally here, so it's time to crack on with another complete re-watch of the now-updated Conjuring timeline. Check out the trailer down below:
Where can I watch The Conjuring 4?
Like the previous entries in the box office-storming franchise, we're expecting The Conjuring 4 to be a major theatrical exclusive before eventually coming to streaming several months later.
That's because The Conjuring movies have been box office titans, making enormous amounts of money with every outing.
That's all the information we have on The Conjuring 4 so far. Expect to see this guide updated soon as more names get announced! We've also written articles detailing everything you need to know about The Conjuring TV series release date and The Nun 3 release date if you need to know more about this evolving franchise.
For more screams, here are our guides to the recent The Nun 2 cast and the upcoming Insidious 6 release date. You can also see how to watch all The Purge movies in order and Hellraiser movies in order. And finally, we have all the information you need on Demon Slayer season 4 and a list of the best movies of all time for you to enjoy.