The Conjuring Universe expands with another prequel, and here is when The Nun 2 takes place in the franchise timeline. The Conjuring movies have a history of jumping around in time to bring new supernatural stories to life beyond the original franchise following the Warrens. The Nun 2 is a sequel to 2018’s prequel movie The Nun, which went back to the 1950s to explore more of Valak’s backstory. The Demon Nun returns for the sequel to once again encounter Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and a new group of nuns. Since it is connected to a larger franchise and mythology, timeline questions understandably arise.
The prequel setting for The Nun 2 gives the movie an opportunity to build upon the previous installment and set up Conjuring movies that have already been made. The presence of Valak across various entries in the horror franchise means that the movie must be careful with its timeline placement to avoid creating any major retcons or breaking the in-universe canon. That is why there are a few Conjuring movies worth rewatching before The Nun 2. The good news is that the 2023 horror movie fits in rather nicely to the established Conjuring Universe timeline.
The Nun 2 Takes Place After The Nun & Annabelle: Creation
![When The Nun 2 Takes Place In The Conjuring Universe Timeline](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/sister-irene-looking-scared-in-the-nun-2.jpg)
Ever since it was confirmed that The Nun 2 was happening, it was known that the sequel would take place after the first movie following Sister Irene. It is known that The Nun 2 takes place four years after the original movie. The Nun took place in 1952, making it the oldest movie set in the Conjuring timeline. Sister Irene and Valak cross paths again four years later in the sequel at a boarding school in France. This allows a reasonable amount of time to pass in-universe between the movies which closely resembles the gap between them in real life. That means The Nun 2 takes place in 1956.
The confirmation of when The Nun 2 fits into the Conjuring timeline also means that it takes place after Annabelle: Creation. The 2017 horror movie was the second prequel movie in the Conjuring Universe, as it was used to explore the origin of the Annabelle doll. Annabelle: Creation‘s story takes place in 1955 so it could go back 12 years from the first Annabelle movie. That means it takes place one year before The Nun 2‘s placement in the Conjuring Universe timeline.
The Nun 2 Takes Place 15 Years Before The Conjuring Movies
![The Nun with Annabelle and the Conjuring](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/The-Nun-with-Annabelle-and-the-Conjuring.jpg)
As a prequel movie, when The Nun 2 takes place in comparison to the original Conjuring movies – such as Valak’s first appearance in The Conjuring 2 – is also notable. The 1956 setting for The Nun 2 means that it takes place 15 years before the first The Conjuring. Here is a quick breakdown of the timeline with every Conjuring movie in chronological order:
- The Nun – 1952
- Annabelle: Creation – 1955
- The Nun 2 – 1956
- Annabelle – 1967
- The Conjuring – 1971
- Annabelle Comes Home – 1972
- The Curse of La Llorona – 1973
- The Conjuring 2 – 1977
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It – 1981
The Conjuring movies timeline makes The Nun 2 the third movie in chronological order at this point. It also leaves plenty of room for additional movies to be made if the prequel horror franchise continues to be successful at the box office. There are still 21 years between Valak’s first appearance in The Conjuring 2 and The Nun 2 that can be mined for additional sequels and spinoffs without undermining or contradicting the franchise timeline.
Key Release Date
The Nun II
Release Date:2023-09-08