James Wan
Birthday: Born in 1977-02-26 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Deathday: Alive
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is a Malaysia-born Australian film director, screenwriter, producer, and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the "Saw" and "Insidious" franchises and the creator of "The Conjuring" universe. Wan is also the founder of Atomic Monster, which has produced film and television projects. After directing the micro-budget film "Stygian" (2000), Wan made his professional feature directorial debut with "Saw" (2004). The film was a hit and launched a franchise that has grossed more than $1 billion globally. Following a period of setbacks with the underperforming titles "Dead Silence" and "Death Sentence" (both 2007), Wan returned to commercial success with the PG-13 supernatural horror-fantasy "Insidious" (2010), and went on to direct "Insidious: Part 2" (2013) and to produce further sequels in the series. In between his two "Insidious" projects, Wan directed the more traditional supernatural horror film "The Conjuring" (2013), which achieved enormous critical and commercial success and spawned a sprawling set of sequels and spin-offs collectively known as The Conjuring Universe. Wan served as the director of "The Conjuring 2" (2016) while producing subsequent films in the franchise such as "Annabelle" (2014) and "The Nun" (2018). The Conjuring Universe is the second highest-grossing horror franchise at over $2 billion. Outside of horror, Wan directed "Furious 7" (2015), the seventh installment in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, and the DC Extended Universe superhero film "Aquaman" (2018). Both grossed over $1 billion, making Wan the eighth director with two films to reach the milestone. He is the 20th highest-grossing director of all time as of 2021, with his films having grossed over $3.6 billion worldwide.
TV Credits
30 Even Scarier Movie Moments
Character: Himself
30 Even Scarier Movie Moments was a two-part miniseries on Bravo which counted down 30 more of the most frightening scenes in horror cinema, or any other genre. This is also a two-part sequel to 100 Scariest Movie Moments. The list mostly consists of movies that didn't quite make the first list, or popular movies that had come out since....
Movie Credits
Lavalantula
Character: Tour Bus Passenger
Giant lava breathing tarantulas – Lavalantulas – erupt out of ancient volcanos in the Santa Monica Mountains, raining death and destruction upon Los Angeles. With the City of Angels on the verge of incineration, only a washed up ‘90s action hero actor stands in the way of this monstrous swarm of bloodthirsty creatures who burn their victims alive....
Hacking Away at Saw
Character: Self
Cary Elwes (Dr Gordon), writer/actor Leigh Whannell, director James Wan, Tobin Bell (Jigsaw) and the producers give insights on how Saw (2004) came together and the limitations they faced with time and budget....
The Making of Dead Silence
Character: Self
Short documentary on the making of Dead Silence....
Insidious: Chapter 3
Character: Theater Director
A twisted new tale of terror begins for a teenage girl and her family, and revealing more mysteries of the otherworldly realm, 'The Further'....
Faith & Fear: The Conjuring Universe
Character: Self
Before The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It began filming, a bishop from the Order of Exorcists was called to bless the studio, cast, and crew. This is the story of The Conjuring, and how the films and their real life inspirations connect behind the scenes....
Not Quite Hollywood
Character: Self
As Australian cinema broke through to international audiences in the 1970s through respected art house films like Peter Weir's "Picnic At Hanging Rock," a new underground of low-budget exploitation filmmakers were turning out considerably less highbrow fare. Documentary filmmaker Mark Hartley explores this unbridled era of sex and violence, complete with clips from some of the scene's most outrageous flicks and interviews with the renegade filmmakers themselves....
Aquaman: Heroines of Atlantis
Character: Self
Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman discuss their characters Mera and Atlanna....
Going Deep Into the World of 'Aquaman'
Character: Self
Documentary about creating a watery setting, sets and locations, costumes and production design, and general aspects of the film. A run-through of the production process from start to finish including the initial development, building the sets, costume design, CGI, and more....
Game Changer: The Legacy of Saw
Character: Self
Generations of movie fans have thrilled to Saw's blood-curdling story of a serial killer who traps his victims in a sadistic game of survival. Game Changer takes you behind the scenes, as cast and crew reveal the stories behind the film that launched the most successful horror franchise in movie history....