The Conjuring Universe is nearing its conclusion, with the final Conjuring film, subtitled Last Rites, set to release in September. Unlike Avengers: Endgame, it will not feature an assembly of all the monsters from the franchise’s history, which spans back to 2013. However, this idea was briefly considered during the development process.

A recent Entertainment Weekly feature, which highlights The Conjuring: Last Rites and takes a look back at the franchise as a whole, includes insights from Last Rites director Michael Chaves. Chaves, who also directed The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and The Nun II, discussed the brainstorming sessions that informed the fourth Conjuring film, starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Lorraine and Ed Warren.

According to Chaves, the team explored various ideas, including making the film “shamelessly big” and “epic,” and even considered an “endgame” scenario where multiple demons confront the Warrens. As Chaves told EW, “Even as we were developing it, we were throwing a bunch of ideas out: ‘How shamelessly big can we make it?’ ‘How epic can we make it?’ ‘Is this the culmination of all the demons coming to face them?'”. The magazine added that the team briefly entertained the idea of about a dozen Doctor Strange portals opening to reveal every Conjuring entity assembled together before deciding to take a more emotional, personal approach.

It’s no secret that the bond between Lorraine and Ed is the heart of the Conjuring series, as they have consistently faced supernatural horrors together. However, it’s intriguing to imagine series creator James Wan, an executive producer on Last Rites, bidding farewell to the Conjuring with a massive monster-filled spectacle. The Nun and Annabelle would likely be at the forefront, accompanied by other entities introduced throughout the series, such as the Crooked Man from The Conjuring 2.

While the movie had set up the Crooked Man as a potential spin-off character, executive producer Peter Safran told EW that the audience’s reaction led them in a different direction. “We thought the Crooked Man was basically going to be the Annabelle for Conjuring 2,” Safran said, “but when the audiences saw the movie, they wanted to know more about the nun. That’s what they gravitated toward.” The Crooked Man won’t be part of the hypothetical monster showdown, but Wan hasn’t entirely ruled out the idea of exploring this character further.

Wan expressed his desire to make a Crooked Man movie, telling EW, “I still have a movie in my head that I would hopefully love to get off the ground one day, but we’ll see.” He also mentioned that fans often reach out to him, begging for a Crooked Man film. As a fan, Wan would love to make it happen, but it would require convincing the studio. The fans’ desire for a mega-monster crossover movie is clear, and Wan has the power to make it a reality.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is set to hit theaters on September 5. For more information on the plot and the Conjuring Universe, head to EW.

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