One of the most distinctive parts of the Conjuring movies is that every single one of these hit films – so far – take place in the past. The history of the Warrens and the demons they’ve fought, and the history of those demons, have yet to catch up to the audience in the present day.
In a new interview with Annabelle Comes Home writer/director Gary Dauberman – who also wrote Annabelle, Annabelle Creation and The Nun, and produced The Curse of La Llorona – the filmmaker talked about whether the series would ever move substantially forward in time. And perhaps, as Annabelle Comes Home teases, start following the adventures of the youngest member of the Warren family, Judy (played by Mckenna Grace).
“I thought a lot about that,” Dauberman reveals. “I mean, Judy Warren right now, in the present, is like mid-60s I think? But I love the idea of playing around with an older Judy, for sure.”
“Is she going to find her Ed [Warren, Lorraine’s partner in demon-hunting], her version of her Ed? I think there’s a really cool…like you could do a parallel between [them],” Dauberman continued.
“I always think about when did Ed and Lorraine meet, and what was that like? Maybe you tell that story with Judy meeting her version of Ed or something like that,” Dauberman added, considering the possibilities. “But I like the idea of exploring the Judy stories, whether or not she embraces the psychic side of her abilities and stuff, and what it’s like.
“Like, is she going to take the path that her mom did, or is she going to a different way, or whatever?
“I think it would be super cool,” Dauberman continues, before pondering the tricky timeline. “Yeah, so whether it’s present day or not that would push it to like, what, the 80s? In ’72 I guess that she’s eleven, so early 20s would be ’82 or something.”
Judy Warren isn’t the only Conjuring spin-off protagonist with psychic powers who looks a lot like Lorraine Warren with the potential to re-appear in future installments, of course. There’s also Sister Irene, from The Nun, played by Taissa Farmiga (Vera Farmiga’s sister).
“I think there is a possibility you could see her again, yes,” Dauberman said. “I’ll leave it there.”
Annabelle Comes Home arrives in theaters on June 26th.
