The Nun 2 Film
The Nun II (also known as The Nun: Chapter Two) is a 2023 American gothic supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves, with a screenplay written by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper from a story by Cooper.[6] Serving as a sequel to The Nun (2018) and the eighth installment in The Conjuring Universe franchise, the film stars Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, and Bonnie Aarons, returning from the first film, with Storm Reid and Anna Popplewell joining the cast. Peter Safran and James Wan return as producers.
In 2017, Wan discussed the possibility of a Nun sequel and by 2019, Safran revealed that the film was in early development. Cooper was initially hired as the sole writer, before Goldberg and Naing contributed as screenwriters to the final script. Chaves, who had previously helmed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) and The Curse of La Llorona (2019), was announced as director. Principal photography began in October 2022 in France.
The Nun II was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 8, 2023. The film was a commercial success, grossing $268 million worldwide against a $38 million budget and received mixed reviews from critics, though some deemed it an improvement over its predecessor.
The Nun Film
STORY
In 1956, Father Noiret and young Jacques perform their daily chores in their church in Tarascon, France. While investigating a disturbance, Noiret is raised into the air, set on fire, and burned to death before a terrified Jacques who then flees.
Four years following the events at Saint Cartha’s monastery, Sister Irene now serves in a convent in Italy. Maurice works at a boarding school in France, where he has befriended a young Irish student named Sophie and her teacher and mother, Kate. Irene has a vision of Maurice asking her to save him. She is dispatched by the Cardinal to investigate a series of deaths across Europe, attributed to the demon Valak, due to her previous experience with the demon. She travels to Tarascon with Sister Debra, a young novice who expresses her difficulty in accepting miracles, such as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Meanwhile, a delivery girl witnesses Valak talking to a possessed Maurice before Valak kills her.
In Tarascon, Irene is haunted by Valak and has a strange vision. Sister Debra tells Irene that she received Noiret’s rosary from Jacques. At school, Sophie is bullied by classmates and locked in the deconsecrated sealed-off chapel. The bully points out the goat on the stained-glass window, claiming the devil appears when the sun shines through and turns the goat’s eyes red. One night, the headmistress encounters a sleepwalking Maurice and is killed by Valak in the guise of her deceased son.
Irene and Debra travel to the Palais des Papes and meet with a librarian. He explains that Valak was an angel rejected by God and the emblem on Noiret’s rosary is the family crest of St. Lucy, who was martyred by a pagan. Though she was set on fire, she miraculously did not burn; her eyes were gouged out, but her family recovered them. The librarian suggests the demon is killing St. Lucy’s descendants because it wants this powerful relic, last known to be stored in a former monastery-turned-winery. The winery then became the present-day boarding school.
At the school, Irene and Debra face off against a fully possessed Maurice. Sophie shows the women the stained-glass goat in the chapel and they use a flashlight to make its eyes glow red. The red light acts as a laser-like pointer, pointing to where the eyes of St. Lucy are buried. Irene finds the relic and the stained-glass goat vanishes, reappearing in real life as a demonic creature.
As the goat attacks the students, Maurice attacks Irene, chases Sophie, and causes the bell tower to collapse. Debra admits to Irene that she now has faith. Irene uses the relic against Maurice, but he grabs it, causing Valak to appear. Similar to Father Noiret, Valak lifts Irene in the air and sets her ablaze. Irene does not burn as Valak realizes she is a descendant of St. Lucy, able to harness the same power associated with the relic. Irene and Debra pray the Words of Institution as the old barrels of wine in the room become the blood of Christ, banishing the demon. With Valak gone, Irene and Debra managed to free Maurice of possession and save his life.
The next morning, Irene leads Maurice outside and helps him to regain his senses. However, she becomes concerned as she watches him going with Sophie and Kate inside.
CAST
- Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene
- Jonas Bloquet as Maurice
- Storm Reid as Sister Debra
- Anna Popplewell as Kate
- Bonnie Aarons as The Demon Nun
- Katelyn Rose Downey as Sophie
- Suzanne Bertish as Madame Laurent
- Léontine d’Oncieu as Simone
- Anouk Darwin Homewood as Celeste
- Maxime Elias-Menet as Jacques
- Pascal Aubert as Father Noiret
- David Horovitch as Cardinal Conroy
- Kate Colebrook as Irene’s Mom / Saint Lucy
- Andrew Morgado provides the demonic voice
PRODUCTION
Development
In August 2017, Wan discussed the possibility of a Nun sequel and what its story may be: “I do know where potentially, if The Nun works out, where The Nun 2 could lead to and how that ties back to Lorraine’s story that we’ve set up with the first two Conjurings and make it all come full circle.”
In April 2019, it was announced by Peter Safran that a sequel was in development. Safran stated that there was a “really fun” storyline planned for the film and commented that there was an “inevitability to another The Nun movie”. Later that month, Akela Cooper signed onto the project as screenwriter while Safran and James Wan agreed to serve as producers.
In February 2022, Taissa Farmiga stated that she had had discussions with Warner Bros. Pictures to reprise her role from the first film while stating that the restrictions on the film industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed the project. In April 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures officially announced the movie as a part of its upcoming slate at the 2022 CinemaCon. The following day, it was announced that Michael Chaves would direct the film.
In September 2022, it was revealed that Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing had contributed as screenwriting co-authors of the most recent draft of the script.
RELEASE
September 8, 2023
