A still from the movie The Conjuring | Photo Credit: AFP

James Wan, creator of horror franchise The Conjuring, has selected Michael Chaves of Wan’s 2019 movie The Curse of La Llorona to replace him as director of The Conjuring 3. With Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga expected to return for a third mainline entry to The Conjuring horror movie franchise, one major player who is shifting roles is director, creator and producer James Wan.

Having made his name with 2004 survival horror Saw movies, Wan launched both Insidious and The Conjuring in the years that followed. He then steered action movie Furious 7 before taking command of December’s DC superhero film Aquaman and, while he remains in place as one of the producers of The Conjuring 3, it’s Michael Chaves who will be in the director’s chair.

Chaves turned heads with 2016’s short but slick horror film The Maiden, while he and Wan acquainted themselves better through The Curse of La Llorona, currently heading towards an April 2019 debut.

"While working closely with Chaves on The Curse of La Llorona, I got to know him as a filmmaker," Wan said in a statement carried by The Hollywood Reporter. Chaves ability to bring emotion to a story, and his understanding of mood and scares, make him a perfect fit to direct the next Conjuring film."

Debuting in 2013, the franchise has already extended to include two Annabelle spin-offs (with a third in production for 2019), as well as September 2018, hit The Nun.



