The Hollywood Reporter brings word that actor Demian Bichir (The Hateful Eight, Weeds) has signed on to star in the upcoming The Conjuring spin-off The Nun.
Though the outlet reports plot details on the film are being kept under wraps, they reveal Bichir will “play a priest named Father Burke who is dispatched by Rome to investigate a mysterious death of a nun.” That nun, we imagine, will go on to become the breakout demon first seen in The Conjuring 2.
The Nun is the second spin-off to come from The Conjuring series, following in the footsteps of Annabelle, which will see its prequel film Annabelle: Creation hit theaters August 11, 2017. What makes this spin-off perhaps so remarkable is that The Nun character was a late addition to last year’s The Conjuring 2 but was quickly a favorite by horror fans and was announced to have her own feature film in development just one week after The Conjuring 2 opened. The Conjuring films and Annabelle have already earned a combined $895 million worldwide with a combined budget of just $66.5 million across the three films.
Corin Hardy, who previously directed the animated short Butterfly, music videos, and horror film The Hallow, will direct the film from a script by Gary Dauberman and James Wan. The Nun will shoot this summer in Romania and debut in theaters July 13, 2018.
Bichir can next be ween in the upcoming Ridley Scott-directed Alien: Covenant.
