James Wan
James Wan is a Malaysian-Australian director born in Kuching, Sarawak, celebrated for launching or revitalizing some of the most commercially successful horror franchises of the twenty-first century. Saw, made on a minuscule budget, introduced a grisly trap-based premise that spawned a long-running franchise and helped define the 2000s torture-horror subgenre, while Insidious and The Conjuring established his gift for atmospheric, jump-scare-driven supernatural horror built on genuine tension rather than gore. The Conjuring's success spawned an extensive shared cinematic universe that Wan continued to oversee as producer across numerous sequels and spin-offs. Wan also proved his range with Furious 7, a major action blockbuster, and Aquaman, a large-scale DC superhero film. Wan's ability to launch multiple long-running horror franchises while also succeeding in mainstream blockbuster filmmaking has made him one of the most commercially significant genre directors of his generation.
James Wan
21 Directed
9 Series
James Wan is a Malaysian-Australian director born in Kuching, Sarawak, celebrated for launching or revitalizing some of the most commercially successful horror franchises of the twenty-first century. Saw, made on a minuscule budget, introduced a grisly trap-based premise that spawned a long-running franchise and helped define the 2000s torture-horror subgenre, while Insidious and The Conjuring established his gift for atmospheric, jump-scare-driven supernatural horror built on genuine tension rather than gore. The Conjuring's success spawned an extensive shared cinematic universe that Wan continued to oversee as producer across numerous sequels and spin-offs. Wan also proved his range with Furious 7, a major action blockbuster, and Aquaman, a large-scale DC superhero film. Wan's ability to launch multiple long-running horror franchises while also succeeding in mainstream blockbuster filmmaking has made him one of the most commercially significant genre directors of his generation.
Movies
Director
The Conjuring
2013
Director
Aquaman
2018
Director
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
2023
Director
The Conjuring 2
2016
Director
Insidious
2011
Director
Furious 7
2015
Director
Saw
2004
Director
Insidious: Chapter 2
2013
Director
Dead Silence
2007
Director
Malignant
2021
Director
Death Sentence
2007
Director
Saw
2003
Director
Doggie Heaven
2008
TV Shows
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Full Filmography
Soulm8te
Story
2026
Film
56 Days
Executive Producer · 8 episodes
2026–
TV
The Copenhagen Test
Executive Producer · 8 episodes
2025–
TV
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Story
2025
Film
Teacup
Executive Producer · 8 episodes
2024–
TV
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Director
2023
Film
M3GAN
Story
2022
Film
Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles
Executive Producer · 20 episodes
2022–
TV
Archive 81
Executive Producer · 8 episodes
2022–
TV
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is James Wan and where are they from?
James Wan is 49 years old, born on February 26, 1977 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
What are the most famous roles of James Wan?
James Wan is best known for directing Aquaman, The Conjuring, Furious 7.
How many movies has James Wan directed?
Over a 28-year career (since 1998), James Wan has directed or written 21 films and worked on 9 TV shows.
What was James Wan's first movie?
The career of James Wan began with The Creature from the Black Lagoon ().
What is James Wan's most recent movie or series?
James Wan's most recent release is Soulm8te, which premiered on July 31, 2026.
What TV shows has James Wan created or directed?
On television, James Wan has appeared in Swamp Thing, MacGyver, Archive 81, I Know What You Did Last Summer.
James Wan
1977-02-26 · Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian filmmaker. 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. The lattermost is the highest-grossing horror franchise at over $2 billion. Wan is also the founder of the film and television production company Atomic Monster.
Beginning his career with the Saw franchise, Wan made his feature directorial debut with his first film in 2004. The franchise became commercially successful and grossed more than $1 billion globally. Following a period of setbacks, Wan found new success with the Insidious series, in which he directed the first film in 2010 and its 2013 sequel. The same year as the second Insidious, Wan directed the first Conjuring film to critical and commercial success. He served as the director of the second installment in 2016 and produced subsequent films in the franchise.
Outside of horror, Wan directed Furious 7 (2015), the seventh installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, and the DC Extended Universe superhero films Aquaman (2018) and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). Both Furious 7 and Aquaman grossed over $1 billion, making Wan the eighth director with two films to reach the milestone. He is the 16th highest-grossing director of all time as of 2021, with his films having grossed over $3.7 billion worldwide.James Wan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.