SinceTaissa Farmigawas first cast as Sister Irene in the firstThe Nunprequel movie spun off fromThe Conjuring 2,fans of the franchise have speculatedhow her character could possibly be connected toVera Farmiga’s Lorraine Warren. While both Farmiga sisters arecertified scream queensin their own right, having their characters within the same franchise share some sort of a connection seems like a no-brainer — andThe Nun IIdirectorMichael Chavesagrees.
Ahead ofthe sequel’s 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD release, I sat down with Chaves to discuss everything fromthe end credits sceneto theterrifying goat monster. During our conversation, I had to ask about choosing to tie the franchise together withthe connection between Irene and Lorraineas descendants of Saint Lucy. He explained that having Taissa and Vera Farmiga in the same series was “a little bit too perfect” to pass up such an opportunity.
According to Chaves, the connection between Irene and Lorraine initially just featured more Easter eggs inAkela Cooper’s original draft, following up on the hints established in the first movie, but the director felt like they needed to “deliver fans a really clear announcement.” He said:
“I think it’s something that, you know, fans already kind of had theories about it. It just seemed a little bit too perfect that two sisters were cast in the same series, and we needed a connection. I think in the original draft that I got from Akela [Cooper], it was in there, it was always in there, but it was more as an Easter egg, and I just thought that it needs to be bigger. There was already an Easter egg in the firstNunthat connects her to Lorraine on her passport. If you look at her passport…I won’t get into that, but no, I was like, ‘We need to really deliver fans a really clear announcement.'”
Familial Ties Are the Heart of The ‘Conjuring’ Franchise
From that desire to give fans a definitive answer, Chaves began to develop a part of the story involving Irene’s mother. “I really think that it needs to land with some emotion. Then, that’s where I started developing the mother story.” He went on to elaborate on howmost films in the franchisefeature family as a central theme whether it be the Warrens themselves, the Perron family from the first film, or the young couple inAnnabelle. By anchoringThe Nun IIin Irene’s relationship with her mother and her connection to Lorraine, Chaves and Cooper were able to establish a throughline for the entire franchise. He explained:
“These movies always have, you know, the firstConjuringhas the family theme. That’s like the theme, of the family, and once everybody’s been saved. I think it really speaks to just, you know, the Warrens, I think it speaks to [how] all these movies in different ways deal with families in different forms. And so I just thought that Irene’s connection to her mother, which was kind of like a throwaway line in the firstNunmovie about, basically something to the effect of her dad thought her mom was crazy, I just thought that there’s something there. ‘I think we gotta pull on that thread. We gotta pull on the Lorraine thread, and we gotta tie all that up.’ And I think it connected to people. I think that idea of connection to family really worked.”
The Nun IIis currently available on Max in the U.S.and you can purchase it on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on November 14. Stay tuned at Collider for the rest of our conversation with Chaves.
The Nun II
The sequel to the worldwide smash hit follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face to face with Valak, the demon nun.
Watch on Max
