Director James Wan reveals a video of the original demon in The Conjuring 2 before The Nun replaced it. The Conjuring 2 was released in 2016 and followed The Enfield Case, in which a young girl is possessed by a demonic entity in 1977, prompting paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren to get involved. The film stars Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Frances O'Connor, Madison Wolfe, Simon McBurney, Franka Potente, and Bonnie Aarons as The Nun, a demonic entity also known as Valak, is the root of the possession in Enfield.
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The Nun would go on the get her own spinoff prequel film, which was released in 2018, once again starring Aarons as the titular character. The Corin Hardy-directed film was a massive success, grossing $365 million worldwide, making it the most successful of The Conjuring franchise to date. The Nun 2 is currently in production and slated for a 2023 release, with Aarons reprising the iconic role for the third time. However, Aarons wasn't always part of The Conjuring 2's plans, as another demonic creature was created and filmed before Wan changed his mind.
Years ago, Wan revealed images and details about his original vision for the main demon, Valak, in The Conjuring 2, which was a very different design than The Nun, which was added afterward, replacing the original design completely. In a new video posted to his Instagram, James Wan shows off a behind-the-scenes look at Valak on set, played by the film's composer, Joseph Bishara. The fully-developed suit and animatronic head are revealed for the first time, giving a better look at what could have been had The Nun not taken the place of the shadowy demon. Wan comments that it was "The best demon I never used." Check out Wan's post below:
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Wan explains in the post that during post-production, he felt that the Valak design didn't fit within the world of The Conjuring universe and conceived The Nun as a replacement that better suited the supernatural franchise. The director says that he has only one fully-rendered shot of Valak with his CGI wings and that it was "grand and epic" even if "out of place" for the film. Aarons was cast during post-production, and all of her scenes were filmed during additional photography for The Conjuring 2 to replace the original Valak, showing how much things can change even after a movie is done filming.
It's interesting to contemplate what The Conjuring 2 might have been like with the original Valak design, as it's undoubtedly a cool-looking demon. However, the popularity and iconic status of The Nun makes it seem like Wan made the right call and created something much better (and long-lasting) with the alternate variation of the character. Valak looks scary enough but feels more like a mythological creature rather than a supernatural one, making Wan's instincts that it didn't fit within The Conjuring 2's world correct.