The official title of the second "Annabelle" movie, a horror film featuring a possessed doll, has officially been revealed by David F. Sandberg, the film's director.
Originally called "Annabelle 2," the film is actually a prequel to the first two films. Its official title was confirmed to be "Annabelle: Creation," which, as the name suggests, will provide the background story of how the doll became possessed.
Sandberg, who took over the directorial role following John Leonetti's departure from the film franchise, revealed on Twitter that the name change came about because Warner Bros. did not want audiences to believe that they will be seeing the same old story.
As the recently-released trailer shows, Annabelle was once a living, breathing girl. However, she dies when she gets run over by a car. Because she does not want to leave her parents, her spirit somehow manages to possess a doll made by her father. The couple would later take in a nun and some girls, and they became the targets of the toy.
While "The Conjuring" and "The Conjuring 2" were well-received by viewers and critics alike, the first "Annabelle" film had a lackluster reception, and it is thus considered inferior to its forerunners.
Unlike "The Conjuring" and "The Conjuring 2," both of which were promoted as based on true stories, "Annabelle: Creation" was made up, according to Tony Spera, who is the son-in-law of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. However, the haunted doll actually does exist. Interested visitors can visit her, as well as other purportedly possessed artifacts, in Monroe, Connecticut, where the Warrens' museum can be found.
"Annabelle: Creation" is based on the screenplay of Gary Dauberman. The film is produced by Peter Safran and James Wan, and it stars Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson, Philippa Anne Coulthard, Grace Fulton, Lou Lou Safran, Samara Lee, Tayler Buck, Anthony LaPaglia, and Miranda Otto. It will premiere on Aug. 11.
Sandberg is also the director of "Lights Out," another horror film slated to premiere on July 22. It features a supernatural threat, which can only be seen when the lights are out, that attacks a family.
