Matthias Schweighöfer joins The Conjuring: First Communion
Deadline reports the Army of Thieves star has boarded New Line’s horror prequel, with his role still under wraps.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Matthias Schweighöfer is stepping into New Line’s next fright chapter, The Conjuring: First Communion, according to Deadline.
The German actor, known to Netflix viewers for Army of Thieves and to Nolan fans for Oppenheimer, has joined the horror prequel in an undisclosed role. Deadline reported that details on whom Schweighöfer will play have not yet been revealed.
The film is the latest entry in The Conjuring universe, one of horror’s most durable box-office machines. Deadline puts the franchise’s global haul at more than $2.7 billion, making it the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time.
First Communion follows The Conjuring: Last Rites, which Deadline said became the series’ top earner last year with more than $499 million worldwide.
Young Warrens take center stage
Schweighöfer joins a cast led by Garrett Wareing and Amanda Fix, who Deadline previously reported will play younger versions of Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The married paranormal investigators have been central to the franchise, with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga portraying the pair across the films. No plot details for First Communion have been made public, according to Deadline.
New Line has set Rodrigue Huart to direct. Deadline reported that Huart was hired for the project off a short film. The screenplay is by Richard Naing and Ian Goldberg.
Peter Safran is producing the prequel. John Rickard, Natalia Safran and Romel Adam are serving as executive producers, according to Deadline.
The film is scheduled to hit theaters on September 10, 2027.
From Netflix heists to haunted houses
Schweighöfer has built a busy international screen career as both actor and filmmaker. He directed and starred in Netflix’s Army of Thieves, the prequel to Zack Snyder’s zombie film Army of the Dead. He also appeared in Army of the Dead.
His other credits include Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, where he played German physicist Werner Heisenberg, as well as Netflix’s Heart of Stone, Pixar’s Elio and You Are Wanted, which Deadline identified as the first German-language Amazon Original series.
Deadline also reported that Schweighöfer recently starred in the German sci-fi thriller Brick. The film reached the No. 1 movie spot on Netflix worldwide and in 59 countries within 24 hours of release, according to Deadline, and remained there for two weeks.
Schweighöfer has also wrapped a role opposite Walton Goggins in the action-comedy Mister. He is due to appear in Play Dead, a World War II-era psychological thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and produced by Sam Raimi, Deadline reported.
Schweighöfer is represented by UTA and Untitled, according to Deadline.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.