James Wan Shares Details About His New Horror Film, Promises “Old School, Practical Effects”

James Wan’s breakout feature film Saw helped launch his career, as it was an innovative idea that was executed exceptionally. Following that film’s success, the filmmaker was able to launch multiple unique franchises like The Conjuring and Insidious, which have each seen a number of sequels and spinoffs. Wan has also directed sequels and adaptations of well-known characters, like Furious 7 and Aquaman. The filmmaker has previously confirmed that, before returning to the world of big-budget action, he would be directing a horror movie, leading to speculation it could be another sequel in one of his franchises. Wan took to his Facebook page to tease that his new project would be completely original and feature practical special effects.

“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,” Wan posted on his Facebook page [H/T Bloody Disgusting]. “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.”

Wan’s horror films aren’t particularly known for their reliance on CGI, with this comment likely serving to remind his fans that he was going back to the basics as far as his filmmaking style. While some fans will appreciate the update on the project, his teases will surely ignite speculation from fans.

Over the course of his career, audiences have learned to expect the unexpected from the filmmaker, as he regularly embraces new challenges and offers viewers compelling experiences. Wan previously shared with ComicBook.com his desire to pursue new paths.

“I mean, liking the people I work with goes a long way,” Wan confessed. “That was the reason why I came back when I did Insidious 2. But it’s a weird one for me, because I actually don’t know what I want to do next for the first time in my career. I felt like Aquaman ticked a lot of boxes for me. I want to do another action movie after Furious 7, I wanted to do a world creation film, and I wanted to do a superhero movie, and Aquaman literally ticked all of those boxes for me. And so right now, I’m in that sort of place of like do I kind of go back and do a smaller movie maybe as my next one, something a bit more intimate. Or if I can do a personal movie, but maybe it’s on a bigger scale. I’m not sure at this point.”

Stay tuned for details on the upcoming film.

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