MOVIE NEWS – With the first phase of The Conjuring universe nearing its conclusion in the upcoming The Conjuring: Last Rites, horror fans still have plenty of questions about how the Warrens’ supernatural saga will wrap up. And if you were hoping to finally see Vera and Taissa Farmiga share the screen, we’ve got some disappointing news: Lorraine Warren and Sister Irene will not meet in the new movie – and there’s a very specific reason why.

Director Michael Chaves told Entertainment Weekly that there had been serious conversations at one point about uniting the characters played by the real-life sisters. While the crossover sounded promising, it ultimately fell apart for legal reasons tied to the “true story” foundation of the franchise.

“To be honest, I was really hungry for a deeper connection between The Nun and the Warrens. But once you start playing with those ties, it gets into some murky legal territory, because all these stories are supposed to be based on true events.”

Chaves is referring to the real-life accounts attributed to Lorraine Warren and how her and Ed’s work as demonologists has spawned books, lectures, and eventually one of the most successful horror franchises in cinema history. Merging the fictional arcs of Irene and Lorraine, even subtly, would have risked undermining the factual credibility that grounds the main series.

“Even if it was a fictional bond, everyone felt that the central Conjuring stories should stay as close to real life as possible.”

“If we leaned too heavily into a sweeping Game of Thrones-style family saga, it would start eroding the believability of the core narrative – and that’s where we all landed.”

They’re Not Connected – But Fans Spotted Something Subtle

Sister Irene is the central character in both The Nun films, squaring off against malevolent forces that could’ve easily crossed paths with Lorraine Warren’s investigations. But apart from Valak’s demonic presence, there’s no real link. The Nun II includes a post-credit cameo from Ed and Lorraine, but it functions more as an Easter egg than a plot device – the movie’s story would remain unchanged if the scene were cut.

Still, Chaves hints at a detail that sharp-eyed viewers may have caught in The Nun II. “It’s not spelled out in the film, but there’s this suggestion that Irene comes from a line of saints. That idea could definitely be expanded,” he says, pointing to the vision scene where Irene learns she’s a descendant of Saint Lucy. During the vision, we see several descendants – and guess who appears among them? Lorraine Warren.

The Creators Didn’t Want to Force a Connection

Peter Safran, executive producer of the Conjuring Universe, also confirmed there had been early plans to link the sisters on-screen – but in the end, “it didn’t really make sense.” As he explained, “We’ve always been careful not to jam things in just for the sake of it. Every detail has to serve a narrative purpose – we don’t do anything without a reason.”

Source: Entertainment Weekly