The Nun: The Conjuring Spinoff, Demián Bichir Cast As Father Burke

“The Conjuring” franchise is expanding. After successfully launching “Annabelle” as its first spin-off movie, “The Conjuring 2’s” Valak will now appear on the big screen in “The Nun.” This can also be likened to the series of films from the “Insidious” horror franchise, with countless new projects for its cast and crew being planned.

“Insidious” director James Wan was the driving force behind the two franchises. After “Insidious,” he went on to work with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga for the first “The Conjuring” film. “Insidious” and “The Conjuring” became instant successes as it both doubled in revenue fifteen times its $20 million budget. “The Conjuring 2” then debuted last year, introducing us to the demon Valak.

The Nun’s First Cast Member

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Nun” has finally found its first cast member: Demián Bichir. He will play Father Burke, a priest who is “dispatched by Rome to investigate a mysterious death of a nun.” Early shoots are scheduled to begin this summer in Romania. “The Nun” is based on a script by Gary Dauberman and James Wan with Corin Hardy to helm the project. This will be Wan’s second spin-off for “The Conjuring,” with Annabelle: Creation set to release this August.

Bichir has been in a number of notable projects, including his Oscar-nominated role as Carlos in Chris Weitz’s “A Better Life.” He also starred as Bob in Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 movie “The Hateful Eight” and will co-star in Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Alien: Covenant” film. Bichir started off in classical theater, so it’s not that much of an issue of whether or not he can execute a role as heavy as this in “The Nun.”

No plot has been revealed yet, but it’s beginning to look like “The Nun” is shaping up to be another highly-anticipated addition to the storyline of “The Conjuring;” and with the second “Annabelle” film around the corner, we’ll just have to wait and see how Bichir delivers a surely iconic character for the franchise.

“The Nun” is currently slated for a July 13, 2018 release.