In 2014 “Annabelle” scared up nearly $257 million at the worldwide box office during its run in theaters. The new film, once again being produced by Peter Safran and James Wan, who also partnered so effectively on “The Conjuring” movies, expects to scare even more.

David F. Sandberg (replacing John R Leonetti, who made the first film) directs from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman, who also wrote “Annabelle.” Sandberg is the director of Lights Out,  a 2016 American supernatural horror film premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 8, 2016. Lights Out will be released on July 22, 2016 through Warner Bros. Pictures. The film (Lights Out) is based on the 2013 award-winning short film of the same name directed by Sandberg.

Filming of Annabelle 2 is taking place in Los Angeles. Collaborating with Sandberg behind-the-scenes from his “Lights Out” team are production designer Jennifer Spence and editor Michel Aller, joined by director of photography Maxime Alexandre (“The Other Side of the Door”) and costume designer Leah Butler (“Paranormal Activity 3 & 4”).

The film stars Stephanie Sigman (“Spectre”), Talitha Bateman (“The 5th Wave”), Lulu Wilson (upcoming “Ouija 2,” “Deliver Us from Evil”), Philippa Anne Coulthard (“After the Dark”), Grace Fulton (“Badland”), Lou Lou Safran (“The Choice”), Samara Lee (“Fox Catcher,” “The Last Witch Hunter”), Tayler Buck in her feature film debut, with Anthony LaPaglia (TV’s “Without a Trace”) and Miranda Otto (Showtime’s “Homeland,” “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy).

In “Annabelle 2,” several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.

Currently scheduled for release on May 19, 2017, “Annabelle 2,” is a New Line Cinema presentation, an Atomic Monster/Safran Company production. The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.