Will Patrick Wilson Return as Ed Warren? The Conjuring Star Opens Up

Quick update from the demon files: Patrick Wilson is not slamming the door on more Conjuring movies, even though the latest one was sold as the Warrens' last ride. He talked about it while doing promo for something called 'Jay Kelly' - yeah, that name gave me pause too - and it sounds like he's game if the stars align.

So... is Patrick Wilson done as Ed Warren?

Not necessarily. Wilson told ScreenRant that he's open to coming back even though 'The Conjuring: Last Rites' was marketed as the final chapter for Ed and Lorraine.

'I adore Vera. We're super close. And Ed Warren lived into his seventies. I think there's more story somewhere. But this is the end of this chapter. We're told that. I'm not being coy - that's literally what we've been told. And that's fine. It's all good. We had a great run. What lies ahead? No idea.'

Translation: the current arc is over, but if they want to cook up another adventure with Wilson and Vera Farmiga, he's not against it.

About that prequel...

Wilson says he found out about the in-the-works prequel focusing on the Warrens' early cases the same way the rest of us did. His words: he learned about it 'just like you guys.' Asked whether he or Farmiga might be involved, he kept it simple: 'I have to take it as it is.' In other words, no commitments, no announcements, no nothing - at least not yet.

Where Last Rites left things

'The Conjuring: Last Rites' centered on the Smurl case and framed it as the Warrens' final investigation. The movie pulled in nearly $500 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing entry in the franchise, even if critics were cooler on it than they were on the early films.

How much runway is left?

Plenty. In real life, there are roughly 20 years between the events depicted in Last Rites and Ed Warren's actual death, which is an awful lot of space for more hauntings. The Warrens co-wrote six books and worked on a bunch of cases that could be adapted if the franchise wants to keep digging.

The universe has never been linear anyway

This series has always played hopscotch with time. 'Annabelle Comes Home' shifted its timeline to slot into earlier events and still brought back Wilson and Farmiga. So sliding more Warren stories into the gaps is not only possible - it's already the playbook.

And there is a series brewing

Beyond the films, a series is in development at HBO Max with Nancy Won on board as showrunner. No plot details yet, but a serialized format could easily fill in timeline gaps and create more chances for Wilson and Farmiga to pop in as Ed and Lorraine.

• Wilson is open to returning as Ed Warren, even if this 'chapter' is done.
• He learned about the early-years prequel at the same time fans did - no involvement confirmed.
• Last Rites: nearly $500 million worldwide, biggest earner in the franchise, based on the Smurl case.
• About 20 years of real-life Warren history remains on the table, plus six co-authored books and many cases.
• The franchise has used timeline gymnastics before - see 'Annabelle Comes Home.'
• An HBO Max series from showrunner Nancy Won is in the works, with details under wraps.

Bottom line: the Warrens' curtain call might stick, but this universe has too many doors and too much money on the table to lock anything forever. If they want more Ed and Lorraine, they'll find a way.