James Wan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Wan
|
|||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wan in 2019
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 February 1977 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
|
||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | RMIT University (B.A., 1998) | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
|
||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1998–present | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Ingrid Bisu
(m. 2019) |
||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 溫子仁 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 温子仁 | ||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian filmmaker. He is famous for his work in the horror genre. He helped create the Saw and Insidious film series. He also created The Conjuring Universe. This universe is the highest-earning horror film series ever, making over $2 billion. Wan also started his own film and TV company, Atomic Monster.
Wan started his career with the Saw movies. He directed his first film in 2004. The Saw series became very popular and earned more than $1 billion worldwide. After some challenges, Wan found success again with the Insidious series. He directed the first Insidious film in 2010 and its sequel in 2013.
In the same year as the second Insidious movie, Wan directed the first Conjuring film. This movie was a big hit with both critics and audiences. He directed the second Conjuring movie in 2016 and produced many other films in that series.
Beyond horror, Wan directed Furious 7 (2015). This was the seventh movie in the Fast & Furious action series. He also directed the DC Extended Universe superhero films Aquaman (2018) and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). Both Furious 7 and Aquaman earned over $1 billion. This made Wan one of the few directors with two films reaching this milestone. As of 2021, his films have earned over $3.7 billion worldwide. This makes him one of the highest-earning directors of all time.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James Wan was born on 26 February 1977 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. His parents were Chinese-Malaysian. When he was seven, Wan and his family moved to Perth, Western Australia. He went to Lake Tuggeranong College in Canberra. Later, he returned to Perth as an adult.
Wan then moved to Melbourne to study at RMIT University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Media in 1999.
Career Highlights
Starting with Saw (2004–2006)
Before 2003, James Wan and his friend, filmmaker Leigh Whannell, began writing a horror movie script. They used their dreams and fears to inspire the story. After finishing the script, they wanted to film a small part of it. This part became known as Saw. They used this short film to show their idea to movie studios.
With help from Charlie Clouser, who wrote the music, they filmed Saw with a small budget. Whannell also acted in the movie as Adam Stanheight. When the full Saw movie was released, it was a huge success. It earned over $103 million worldwide, much more than it cost to make. This success led to many sequels, starting with Saw II. The Saw films became one of the highest-earning horror series ever. Wan directed the first Saw (2004) and helped write Saw III (2006). He and Whannell have been executive producers for most of the other Saw movies.
Challenges and New Ideas (2007–2009)
In 2007, Wan directed two more films. The first was the horror movie Dead Silence. Wan and Whannell later said this movie was a tough experience for them. Dead Silence is about a ventriloquist's ghost named Mary Shaw. She takes the tongue of anyone who screams when she is near. Wan described it as a "creepy doll movie," like old Twilight Zone episodes. It earned over $22 million but got mixed reviews.
Wan's second film in 2007 was Death Sentence. This was an action drama film about a father seeking revenge for his son's murder. Whannell had a small role in it. Wan called it a "raw and gritty, 70s styled revenge thriller." This film earned $17 million and also received mixed reviews.
After working on three films in a row, Wan took some time off to write more. In 2008, he directed a trailer for the video game Dead Space.
Big Comeback (2010–2013)
Wan returned to horror with Insidious. It first showed at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. The movie was quickly bought by Sony Pictures. It was released in April 2011 and earned about $13.5 million in its first weekend. The film starred Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Barbara Hershey. Wan made Insidious independently, meaning he had full creative control. He wanted to make a horror film that was different from the gory Saw movies.
Wan's next film was The Conjuring (2013). This movie was based on the real-life stories of Ed and Lorraine Warren. They were a married couple who investigated paranormal events. The film focused on their investigation of a witch's curse on a family farm. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga played the Warrens. The movie was filmed in North Carolina in early 2012. It was released in July 2013 and was a huge success, earning $319.5 million.
After The Conjuring, Wan directed a sequel to Insidious. This film, Insidious: Chapter 2, was also written by Leigh Whannell. The original cast returned. Filming began in January 2013, and the movie was released in September 2013. It was made with a small budget but earned over $161 million worldwide.
Expanding His Work (2014–Present)
_(cropped).jpg)
In 2013, Wan began talks to direct Furious 7, the seventh movie in Fast & Furious action series. He was confirmed as director in April 2013. The film was released in April 2015. It became the most successful movie in the series, earning over $1.5 billion globally.
Wan also signed a big deal with New Line Cinema to direct The Conjuring 2. This film was released on June 10, 2016, and was very successful. In the same month, Wan started his own production company, Atomic Monster. This company makes films in science fiction, horror, and comedy. Films like The Conjuring 2 and Lights Out were produced by his company.
He also produced Annabelle, a spin-off from The Conjuring. This movie was a prequel and very profitable. He continued to produce other films in The Conjuring series, including Annabelle: Creation (2017), The Nun (2018), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019). Wan helped write The Nun and Annabelle Comes Home.
In 2018, Wan directed the DC Extended Universe superhero film Aquaman. This movie earned over $1.148 billion worldwide. It became the highest-earning DCEU film. In 2019, Wan also helped create a TV series based on the character Swamp Thing.
Wan produced the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot. He also executive produced an animated series based on Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo comic book series. This series, called Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, premiered on Netflix in 2022. In 2021, Wan directed the horror film Malignant. He also produced the film There's Someone Inside Your House and the TV series I Know What You Did Last Summer.
In 2022, it was announced that Wan's company, Atomic Monster, might join with Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions. Both companies would still work separately but share a deal with Universal Pictures.
Upcoming Projects
James Wan has several exciting projects planned. He is working on a film based on the Stephen King novel The Tommyknockers. Universal Pictures bought the rights to this film. Wan will produce it and might direct it too.
In 2020, it was announced that Wan is working with Universal Pictures to create a modern version of Frankenstein. He is also involved in a TV series based on the Italian horror comic series Dylan Dog. This series is still being developed.
Wan will produce a horror film called Border Patrol with Screen Gems. He is also producing a film adaptation of the popular online series Backrooms. This film will be directed by Kane Parsons, who created the original videos. In 2023, Disney Branded Television announced a live-action reboot of Gargoyles, with Wan as an executive producer.
Personal Life
On June 22, 2019, James Wan got engaged to Romanian actress Ingrid Bisu. They announced it on his Instagram account. They got married on November 4, 2019.
Filmography
 |
Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Feature Films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Stygian | Yes | Yes | No | Co-written and -directed with Shannon Young; shown at festivals only |
| 2004 | Saw | Yes | Story | No | |
| 2005 | Saw II | No | No | Executive | |
| 2006 | Saw III | No | Story | Executive | |
| 2007 | Dead Silence | Yes | Story | No | |
| Death Sentence | Yes | No | No | ||
| Saw IV | No | No | Executive | ||
| 2008 | Saw V | No | No | Executive | |
| 2009 | Saw VI | No | No | Executive | |
| 2010 | Insidious | Yes | No | No | Also editor |
| Saw 3D | No | No | Executive | ||
| 2013 | The Conjuring | Yes | No | No | |
| Insidious: Chapter 2 | Yes | Story | No | ||
| 2014 | Annabelle | No | No | Yes | |
| 2015 | Demonic | No | No | Yes | |
| Furious 7 | Yes | No | No | ||
| Insidious: Chapter 3 | No | No | Yes | Also had a small role as "Theater Director" | |
| 2016 | The Conjuring 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Lights Out | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2017 | Annabelle: Creation | No | No | Yes | |
| Jigsaw | No | No | Executive | ||
| 2018 | Insidious: The Last Key | No | No | Yes | |
| The Nun | No | Story | Yes | Also second unit director | |
| Aquaman | Yes | Story | No | ||
| 2019 | The Curse of La Llorona | No | No | Yes | |
| Annabelle Comes Home | No | Story | Yes | ||
| 2021 | Mortal Kombat | No | No | Yes | |
| Spiral: From the Book of Saw | No | No | Executive | ||
| The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It | No | Story | Yes | ||
| Malignant | Yes | Story | Yes | ||
| There's Someone Inside Your House | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2022 | M3GAN | No | Story | Yes | |
| 2023 | Insidious: The Red Door | No | No | Yes | |
| The Nun II | No | No | Yes | ||
| Saw X | No | No | Executive | ||
| Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | Yes | Story | Yes | ||
| 2024 | Night Swim | No | No | Yes | |
| 'Salem's Lot | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2025 | The Monkey |
No | No | Yes | Post-production |
| M3GAN 2.0 |
No | No | Yes | Post-production | |
| The Conjuring: Last Rites |
No | Story | Yes | Filming | |
| Mortal Kombat 2 |
No | No | Yes | Post-production | |
| 2026 | SOULM8TE |
No | Story | Yes | Post-production |
Short Films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Saw | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also called Saw 0.5 |
| 2008 | Doggie Heaven | Yes | Creator | Yes | Made for Xbox Live; also known as "Woof!" |
Television Work
| Year | Series | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Executive Producer |
Notes | ||
| 2016–2021 | MacGyver | Yes | Yes | Directed the episode "The Rising" |
| 2019 | Swamp Thing | No | Yes | |
| 2021 | Aquaman: King of Atlantis | No | Yes | |
| I Know What You Did Last Summer | No | Yes | ||
| 2022 | Archive 81 | No | Yes | |
| Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles | No | Yes | ||
| 2024 | Teacup | No | Yes | |
| TBA | Copenhagen |
No | Yes |
Images for kids
-
Wan in 2019
-
Wan at 2007 San Diego Comic-Con
-
Wan at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con
See also
In Spanish: James Wan para niños
