We talk about indie films quite a bit on this website. And it’s hard to think of James Wan as someone that ever fit into the category of an “indie filmmaker.” That being said, if you go back far enough, before his billion-dollar blockbusters and ‘Conjuring’ fame, his career really blew up thanks to 2004’s “Saw,” which was produced with a reported budget just over $1 million. Outside of some truly DIY indie productions, in modern Hollywood standards, that’s about as indie as it gets. And for his next film, Wan is teasing that he’s going back to those “indie roots.”
Recently, we reported that Wan was going to take a break in between “Aquaman” films to focus on a project that was much more personal and smaller scale. While we don’t have a title or a plot synopsis for the film, yet, we do know that New Line Cinema will be the studio behind it and according to the filmmaker’s recent Instagram post, the “hard-R thriller” is a return to an older way of filmmaking.
READ MORE: James Wan Has Found The New Horror Film He Wants To Direct Before Returning To ‘Aquaman’
“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,” wrote the filmmaker. “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.”
For fans of Wan’s earlier films, this is exactly the type of statement they were hoping to see. If you watch “Saw” or even some of his other, bigger horror films like “The Conjuring,” there’s a rawness and classic look and feel that is seemingly completely wiped away in films like “Furious 7” and “Aquaman,” which both feature some of the most elaborate special effects and expensive action sequences you’ll find in any modern film.
So, fans of horror thrillers have at least one original film coming down the line to look forward to. And to top it off, it’s coming from one of the better horror directors working today. Not a bad proposition at all.
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