James Wan is one of the most bankable directors in Hollywood, with many of his films becoming franchises, like "Saw," "The Conjuring" and "Insidious." Now that he's directing "Fast and Furious 7," he's looking toward the future.
Deadline is reporting that Wan just signed a big deal with New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Despite saying that he's done with the horror genre, he will return to direct "The Conjuring 2," which begins filming next summer. That explains why the sequel was recently moved from its October 23rd, 2015 release to 2016.
"It was during the editing of 'Fast and Furious 7' that my brain started sparking ideas for 'The Conjuring' sequel," said Wan. "Taking a break from horror has allowed me to be creatively rejuvenated. I'm excited to tell the story of the next case-file of Ed and Lorraine Warren and expand on this world we've created."
The other part of his deal is to develop and produce modest budget films for New Line in the sci-fi, horror and comedy genres through his Atomic Monster company. This part is not surprising since, Wan is known for turning films budgeted at around $1 million to massive global hits. That includes the recently released "Annabelle," which already earned $166 million on a budget of $6 million.
New Line president Toby Emmerich went on to hint that Wan may get a chance to take on one of Warner Bros' superhero films. "New Line has always been a big believer in great filmmakers emerging from the horror genre, and he has the potential to grow like Frank Darabont did, from writing 'A Nightmare On Elm Street 3' to writing and directing 'The Shawshank Redemption,'" he said. "James will make an important movie for New Line and Warner Bros or DC, and that is definitely part of the plan, and a reason for bringing him into the family. He's the only overall director with a deal here, because we see him as a class of one."
Source: Deadline
