Michael Chaves, the director of the fourth installment in The Conjuring franchise, The Conjuring: Last Rites, has a disappointing update about a possible sequel to the recently released movie. The record-breaking 2025 film has been described as the final chapter in the horror franchise by James Wan in 2013, and while there is alway hope that strong box office response could spur another sequel to life, Chaves is shooting down any possibilities that the series could go on.
The director was recently interviewed by Comic Book, and he addressed the chances of a future sequel. The Warrens’ timeline has come to an end with the latest film, officially marking the conclusion of their time as demon-fighting specialists. Although franchise owners at Warner Bros. will surely find a way to revive the series in the future, Chaves confirmed that it is over for now: “It is done. This is the final show. That’s why we called it Last Rites. It’s the last one. There’s no other Conjuring movies. It is absolutely the end.” The director reinforced this by saying that the film had the emotional component of a farewell:
“I think the big driving emotion of the movie was this emotion of just letting go of the series, like letting go of these characters. I think that was kind of the big spine. Just like the emotional experience that people would have with the movie. I always wanted to try and capture that in the story.
“Movies and TV series, I think sometimes they struggle with that final installment. Not so much because it’s so hard to tell that story, but sometimes people just don’t want to let go, and I was fighting that.”
Chaves is one of the veterans in The Conjuring universe, having directed more movies in the series than any other director, also helming The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Nun II. He was also responsible for the 2019 spin-off The Curse of La Llorona. Though his success in the franchise is unmatched, he insists that this is the end of the series, while hinting that he would love to return if the future holds more Conjuring movies:
“In terms of where it goes next, this is the last one, it doesn’t go anywhere. What I can say in terms of being involved is I’ve really loved working on the series. If there was any more, I would love to be involved.”
‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Is Very Likely Not the End of the Most Successful Horror Franchise of All Time
Although Chaves may have some say regarding where the franchise goes, it’s not in his hands. That decision is higher up the chain of command at Warner Bros., and they have already announced that the franchise will continue. A TV show is now in the works, but it will likely not be long before we see another movie with a Conjuring connection hit the big screen.
The director proved his worth by making some of the highest-grossing entries in the series, including the most recent and most successful. However, perhaps he’s referring to his time in the franchise when he says that “it is done.” The Conjuring plays in the vast territory of supernatural horror, and there are plenty of new voices that should get their shot in the big studio horror system. After all, that’s how Chaves started his run in the franchise that changed his life.
- Release Date
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September 5, 2025
- Runtime
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135 Minutes
- Director
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Michael Chaves
