The Crooked Man

The Crooked Man.

In May 2017, it was announced that a spin-off film that ties in with The Conjuring 2, focusing on the character the Crooked Man, was in the works.

Plot

The plot is currently unknown, however it is widely assumed that it would have focused on the titular character.

Development

In 2017, Peter Safran, producer of the Conjuring films, mentioned that the Crooked Man was considered by New Line Cinema and his own company for a feature film. By June of the same year, it was revealed that Mike Van Waes was serving as a screenwriter, and based on an original story by James Wan, creator of the Conjuring universe; Wan and Safran were set to produce. Though in its early stages of development, the filmmaker stated that the sub-genre of horror would be a "dark fairytale". By September 2018, Safran stated that work on the script was ongoing, and that the studio wants to wait until they have a draft that they like before further production will commence; the producer reiterated what Wan had stated, reaffirming that the intention is for each installment in the franchise to have its own style. He later stated that while The Crooked Man was intended to be the next movie following The Conjuring 2, the project had been delayed.

Why It Was Cancelled

1. Audiences seem to have wanted to see more content of The Nun, specifically Valak, rather than the Crooked Man. Safran stated “Frequently, the audience tells you what the next one should be. When we did The Conjuring 2, we all thought The Crooked Man would be the next one out the gate. We just loved it. It was just a great character. Instead, the audience was so fascinated by the nun".
2. There were multiple undisclosed issues during production.

Results

• The film was (likely) permanently cancelled as of November 2022.
• The Conjuring remains as a trilogy, with multiple side spinoffs, none relating to the Crooked Man, such as Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation (2017), Annabelle Comes Home (2019), and The Curse of La Llorona (2019).
• In May 2025, Wan still has still expressed interest for a related film to the character, but may no longer make it a spin-off, and he isn't sure if he will brainstorm it anytime recent (source has been deleted).
• In response to the longing of more content related to the Nun character, The Nun II, a sequel to 2018's The Nun. was released on September 8, 2023, and received mixed-to-negative reviews.