Producer Peter Safran and writers Chad and Carey Hayes — who teamed on “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle” — are collaborating on religious drama “The Crucifixion” and have tapped “Hitman” director Xavier Gens to helm.
Safran and the Hayes brothers will produce, with Lotus Entertainment’s Bill Johnson, Jim Seibel, D.J. Gugenheim and Ara Keshishian executive producing. Lotus will handle international sales at the American Film Market.
The story centers on a priest being jailed for the murder of a nun on whom he was performing an exorcism — leading to an investigative journalist striving to determine whether the priest lost the battle with a demonic presence.
The previous films have scared up impressive grosses for New Line. “The Conjuring” grossed over $320 million worldwide and spinoff “Annabelle” has taken over $200 million.
Lotus recently announced it’s handling international sales on Shekhar Kapur’s “Tiger’s Curse.”
