First there was The Conjuring, followed by spin-off Annabelle. Next comes The Conjuring 2, and after that there'll be Annabelle 2, which has just landed its director. Lights Out's David F. Sandberg will be calling the shots on the further adventures of the evil doll.
The first Annabelle was a prequel of sorts to James Wan's The Conjuring, which featured the doll in opening scenes largely unconnected to the rest of the film. Annabelle was an origin story detailing how the spirit of a satanic cultist ended up in the already freakish toy, which by the end of The Conjuring is "safely" in a glass case in the archive of paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga). Or not.
There are no Annabelle 2 plot details so far, but we might perhaps guess at another story of people who think Annabelle could be right for their home despite her off-putting smirk and haunted eyes, only to discover that that was a terrible idea.
The first Annabelle, directed by John R. Leonetti, earned more than $245 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $6.5 million, so everyone involved will be hoping for similar levels of audience enthusiasm. Gary Dauberman, who provided the script for that one is back on duty here.
Wan's The Conjuring 2, concerning itself with the Enfield Poltergeist is in cinemas on June 17. The first trailer is due imminently. Sandberg's horror Lights Out, adapted and expanded from his own short film (see below; not for the faint-hearted) and with Wan among the producers, is out in the UK on August 19.