James Wan: podcast appearances and interviews

James Wan is a Malaysian-born Australian filmmaker known for his work in the horror genre and his success in mainstream blockbuster films. He is the co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises and the creator of The Conjuring Universe, which has become the highest-grossing horror franchise with over 2.9 billion dollars in worldwide box office revenue. Wan made his feature directorial debut with Saw in 2004, and the franchise quickly became a commercial success, grossing more than one billion dollars globally. After experiencing setbacks, Wan achieved renewed success with the Insidious series, directing the first film in 2010 and its sequel in 2013. That same year, he directed the first Conjuring film, which received both critical and commercial acclaim, and he also directed its second installment in 2016 along with producing subsequent films in the franchise. Wan expanded his repertoire beyond horror by directing Furious 7 in 2015, part of the Fast and Furious franchise, and the superhero films Aquaman in 2018 and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2023. Both films grossed over one billion dollars, establishing Wan as the eighth director with two billion-dollar films and ranking him as the 16th highest-grossing director of all time as of 2026, with his films generating over 4.1 billion dollars worldwide.