Annabelle Wallis has joined the cast of James Wan's new horror movie.

Annabelle Wallis

Annabelle Wallis

The 34-year-old actress, according to Variety, has signed up to star in the secretive film which is being made from a story by Wan and Ingrid Bisu, the Malaysian-Australian director's fiancée who starred in 'The Nun'.

Wallis has horror credentials as she previously starred in the 2014 Conjuring Universe movie 'Annabelle' and Universal's 2017 reboot of 'The Mummy'.

Wan intends to shoot his latest horror romp this autumn before starting work on the sequel to DC Comics film 'Aquaman'.

Although the plot of the New Line horror is a closely-guarded secret, the 42-year-old filmmaker has teased it will be a "hard-R thriller" and a return to his "indie roots" with "old school, practical effects and no giant, blue screen sets".

Writing on his official Facebook page, he said: "There's been a bit of speculation as to what my next project is... all I'll say is, I'm super excited to go back to my indie roots with this hard-R thriller.

"An original horror idea (not a reboot/remake or anything based on existing IP) with old school, practical effects and no giant, blue screen sets. That's all I'll say for now. (sic)"

Wan is responsible for creating the Conjuring Universe back in 2013 with the first film in the franchise and he also co-created the 'Saw' and 'Insidious' franchises.