We are about two weeks away from The Nun II hitting the big screen, but it looks like an unexpected complication has developed as Bonnie Aarons looks to sue Warner Bros.
In a suit filed August 15th and recently made public, the Valak actress accuses the studio of not honouring their contractual agreements. Upon signing to the 2017 original and any future projects that may arise, Aarons alleges she was promised a $71,000 salary, plus a cut of the profits as well as a share of the merchandising.
It is this latter element that Aarons claims Warner have overlooked, failing to pay her for the use of her image on various products over the last number of years. In the suit, Aarons states that her visage as Valak has accounted for a “considerable amount” of the profits the studio has seen from The Conjuring merchandise since the character’s introduction in 2016.
“Instead of accounting and paying in a transparent fashion, Warner Bros. obscures and hides the true amount of Ms. Aarons’ rightful share of merchandising revenues, all while continuing to exploit her.”
With Aarons set to appear once more as Valak in a very short time, it is unclear if her lawsuit will have any affect on The Nun II reaching theatres. However, whilst that’s unlikely given how close the release is, what could be jeopardised by the legal action is the production of any further films featuring the character. Of course, that will depend almost solely on if The Nun II is a success.
This is a situation we will just have to watch closely and see how it pans out. We’ll report any updates as they arise.
