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EXCLUSIVE: The upcoming Annabelle sequel has set Captain Marvel and Gifted star Mckenna Grace as one of its leads.

Child star Grace will play Judy, the Warrens’ young daughter who becomes a target of the demonic doll, Annabelle. I understand the movie will also turn on the experiences of Judy’s two teenage babysitters.

The third installment in the lucrative New Line horror franchise is gearing up to shoot next month with additional casting coming together now. The project remains untitled.

Gary Dauberman, known for his scripts for the It franchise and The Nun, wrote the screenplay and will make his directorial debut. Horror supremos James Wan (for Atomic Monster) and Peter Safran (for The Safran Company) are producing. Michael Clear is executive producer. Dauberman, Wan, Safran and Clear all worked together on The Nun, which has crossed $300M global so far.

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During Comic-Con’s ScareDiego event, Dauberman said of the latest Annabelle installment, ‘It really picks up with the Warrens bringing Annabelle to the place where it can really no longer wreak havoc, which is their artifact room. But, of course, it turns out she can also wreak havoc there.” “It’s basically Night At The Museum with Annabelle!” added Wan at the time.

This will be the sixth film in The Conjuring Universe, which has grossed more than $1.5B worldwide. No word yet on whether Conjuring 2 stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, who played the Warren parents, are aboard. Pic is due for release on July 3, 2019.

Grace is on a tear. After Gifted, I, Tonya, The Bad Seed and Designated Survivor, she is starring in Netflix’s The Haunting Of Hill House, Disney’s Captain Marvel (she plays the young Carol Danvers), indie pic Troupe Zero alongside Viola Davis and Allison Janney, and she is recurring on Young Sheldon.

She is repped by Paradigm, Management 360 and attorney Stuart Brookman.