New Line has hired Bonnie Aarons to reprise her role as the demonic sister for the horror-thriller “The Nun,” its spinoff of “The Conjuring 2.”
Demian Bichir and Taissa Farmiga are starring, with shooting starting in May in Romania. Corin Hardy is directing. Bechir will portray a priest and Farmiga will play the titular nun.
The studio began developing “The Nun” last June, shortly after “The Conjuring 2” opened. Producers are James Wan, who directed the two “Conjuring” movies and produced the sequel, and Peter Safran, who produced both movies.
The current script for “The Nun,” written by Gary Dauberman and Wan, centers on Bichir’s character traveling to Rome to investigate the killing of a nun.
The demon nun, a manifestation of the evil spirit Valak, came to life in “The Conjuring 2” from a painting by Patrick Wilson’s paranormal investigator Ed Warren and later attacked Vera Farmiga’s Lorraine Warren. Vera and Taissa Farmiga are sisters.
“The Conjuring 2” deals with the 1977 case of demonic possession of an 11-year-old British girl, played by Madison Wolfe.
New Line has already successfully spun off 2014’s “Annabelle” from the demonic doll in 2013’s “The Conjuring.” “Annabelle” was a massive hit with $256 million worldwide on a $6 million budget, with a sequel set for an August release. “The Conjuring” and “The Conjuring 2” each grossed $320 million worldwide.
New Line announced on Feb. 2 that it had hired Hardy for “The Nun,” which will be released next year on July 13 — Friday the 13th.
Aarons’ credits include “Mulholland Drive” and “Drag Me to Hell.” She is repped by Mills Kaplan Entertainment.
