Katie Sarife Joins Annabelle 3 Movie in Lead Role

Deadline brings word that Katie Sarife (Youth & Consequences) has joined The Conjuring Universe’s untitled Annabelle 3 movie in a lead role. Sarife will play the friend of Judy Warren’s cousin and babysitter in the horror feature.

Sarife is best known for starring as Sara Hurley in the TV mini-series Youth & Consequences, as well as her character Marly Evans in Girl Meets World. The actress has appeared in other television programs including Supernatural and Sketchy. Besides Annabelle 3, her next upcoming projects include the comedy TV movie Overshare written and directed by Salomé Breziner.

New Line Cinema’s untitled Annabelle 3 will once again center around the titular demon doll but this time she is already under the possession of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren — with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprising their characters in supporting roles — in their famous Artifacts Room. Mckenna Grace (Captain Marvel) will play the role of Judy Warren, daughter of the paranormal investigating couple who is targeted alongside her teen babysitter/cousin and cousin’s friend by the demonic doll once it awakens the evil inside the Room. Madison Iseman (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) is set to play one of Judy Warren’s babysitters.

The Conjuring universe includes both James Wan-helmed Conjuring films, the first Annabelle spinoff and its sequel Creation, and the recent blockbuster The Nun. It was announced last year that plans are underway for another feature film based on The Conjuring 2‘s Crooked Man, while a third Conjuring film is also being developed with Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona) directing in place of producer James Wan.

Gary Dauberman, the writer behind the spin-offs, will make his directorial debut with the third Annabelle film. Dauberman also penned New Line’s massive hit It and is working on the follow-up, It Chapter Two, as well.

James Wan’s Atomic Monster and the Peter Safran Co. are again producing the third film with Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear to executive produce.

John R. Leonetti directed the first spin-off, which earned $257 million on a $6.5 million budget, while 2017 ’s sequel was directed by David F. Sandberg and made $306.5 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.

Annabelle 3 is scheduled for a July 3, 2019 release by New Line Cinema.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)