In two months’ time, Warner Bros. and New Line will peel back the curtain on their latest installment in the ever-evolving Conjuring universe. Its name? Annabelle: Creation, a horror sequel coming by way of David F. Sandberg.
If that name rings a bell, it should; following up on a string of no-budget shorts, two years ago Sandberg delivered a cracking feature film debut in the form of Lights Out, and the picture proved so successful – so downright terrifying – that the filmmaker was quickly drafted into the Conjuring universe.
It’s fast becoming one of the biggest horror franchises in Hollywood, too, what with plans in place for multiple spinoffs (see: The Nun and The Crooked Man) along with a third Conjuring film to be written by franchise veteran David Leslie Johnson. Director James Wan is yet to sign on for the threequel, though if Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson have their way, it won’t be long before Wan steps into the director’s chair.
Getting back to Annabelle: Creation, though, and the early buzz for Sandberg’s pic has been through the roof, with many claiming that Creation is that rarest of Hollywood sequels that manages to emulate its predecessor. Curious to know what’s in store? Here’s the official logline: “Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.”
Behind the scenes, Creation has a script by Gary Dauberman, who worked on the original sleeper hit, and features a cast comprised of Stephanie Sigman (Spectre), Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson (Ouija 2), Philippa Anne Coulthard, Grace Fulton, Lou Lou Safran, Samara Lee, Tayler Buck, Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto.
Annabelle: Creation will be with us on August 11th.