'The Conjuring' Sequel In the Works

Give James Wan (Saw, Insidious) a couple of million dollars, sometimes not even that much, and he's proven capable of churning out a horror film that earns 100 times its budget. Obviously, studios love numbers like those, and New Line is probably expecting his latest spookfest The Conjuring to do big business when it opens this weekend. In fact, they're counting on it, and are already preparing to turn it into a franchise.

New Line has announced that a sequel to The Conjuring is in the works, basing it on the strong wave of positive buzz from audiences and critics alike. Writers Chad and Carey Hayes are returning to pen the script, and it's expected that the sequels will be based on the many case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Their past cases have already served as the basis for The Amityville Horror, The Haunting in Connecticut and others. It's unclear whether Wilson and Farmiga will return, but the studio will almost certainly pull out all of the stops to make it happen.

The real question is whether Wan will direct, as he's moving on to helm Fast & Furious 7 this summer. If that takes off and he decides to hang out with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker for awhile, he may not be able to fit The Conjuring 2 in his schedule. [Variety]