All good things must come to an end, even very successful things. As such, it is nearly time for The Conjuring franchise to end. Sort of. Producer and modern horror master James Wan has confirmed that filming is now underway on The Conjuring: Last Rites, aka The Conjuring 4. This is being billed as the final entry in the main franchise, with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga returning for one last ride as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorriane Warren.
Wan, who directed both The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2, took to Instagram to confirm that filming has indeed commenced. Naturally, he didn’t say much but he did share a couple of chairs from the set with “Ed Warren” and “Lorraine Warren” written on them to make it very clear what is going on here. He also confirmed via the use of a hashtag that the film will be titled Last Rites, as had been previously reported.
“Always good to see and hang out with old friends. Gonna miss everyone. End of an era,” wan said in the caption to his post.
Michael Chaves, who directed 2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It as well as The Nun 2, is once again in the director’s chair for this one. Warner Bros. has given the film a fall 2025 release date, which will ensure it’s here in time for next year’s Halloween season. Aside from Wilson and Farmiga, no other cast members have been confirmed at this time. Plot details also remain fully under wraps.
Come what may, this is the end of an era. This has been one of the biggest franchises in the horror landscape for more than a decade at this point. 2013’s The Conjuring opened the door for much more, with spin-offs such as Annabelle and The Nun also finding huge success. To date, the films in The Conjuring Universe have generated more than $2.2 billion at the global box office. That being the case, it is interesting that Warner Bros. is ready to say goodbye to the Warrens. Then again, are they really ready to say goodbye?
For one, it’s all but assured that we’re going to get more spin-off films. Let’s not forget that Crooked Man movie that never came to pass. Setting that aside, there are plenty of other corners of this universe to explore. It’s already been confirmed that a Conjuring TV show is in the works for the Max streaming service. So yes, this may well be the last ride for Wilson and Farmiga as the Warrens, but the franchise will live on in some way, shape or form.
Maybe they’ll cast younger versions of Ed and Lorraine. Maybe they will just do more spin-offs until the enterprise slows down. Either way, they’ll keep juicing this as long as there’s more to squeeze. But it’s still going to be an emotional moment for a great many horror fans when credits roll on this one.
The Conjuring: Last Rites is set to hit theaters on September 5, 2025. For more, see what Michael Chaves had to say about the possibility of The Nun 3.
