Aquaman Director James Wan Has Some Advice For Building A Cinematic Universe [Exclusive]
Hollywood has always been enamored of franchises. Universal became synonymous with horror movies in the 1930s with their Classic Monsters run, while MGM mined Mickey Rooney's Andy Hardy character for 16 films. And then there's the "Blondie" series based on Chic Young's comic strip, which Columbia Pictures wrung bone dry for a staggering 28 installments.
For the most part, these films were produced quickly and cheaply for a quick score at the box office. It wasn't until 1962, when United Artists made a killing with the first James Bond movie ("Dr. No"), that studios began to view franchises as cash cows. With the subsequent success of the "Pink Panther" and "Planet of the Apes" movies, the industry became increasingly eager to turn its blockbusters into ongoing sagas. This filmmaking approach went into hyperdrive in 1977 with the unprecedented phenomenon of "Star Wars." From that point forward, Hollywood quickly became a franchise-driven town.
Nowadays, franchises aren't enough. It's all about creating a "cinematic universe" from which you can spin off characters for solo adventures; you can also do fill-in-the-blank prequels, where audiences get to see significant offscreen events unfold. Done with savvy, and you get an 11-year miracle like the one Kevin Feige pulled off with the Marvel Cinematic Universe; try to force the matter, and you wind up with Warner Bros' aimless and uninspired DC Extended Universe.
The latter endeavor is finally drawing to a close this December with James Wan's "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." The first "Aquaman," also directed by Wan, was one of the DCEU's few bright spots; it's the saga's highest grossing entry at $1.14 billion worldwide, and was generally well-received by fans. This wasn't Wan's first rodeo with universe building, and as he prepares to move on, he has some thoughts about how to adeptly develop such a mammoth cinematic undertaking.
Keep the stories fresh, and don't rehash what you've already done
In an exclusive interview with /Film's Jacob Hall, Wan, who launched the still-popular "The Conjuring" universe (as well as the also active "Saw" and "Insidious" franchises), was asked what advice he had for filmmakers attempting to get into the universe-creating business. Here's what he had to say:
"[Y]ou want to try and find stories that you're not necessarily rehashing and that you can kind of find an interesting new way to play with characters that you've already played with, that you've introduced the audience and the world to. If people love your characters, they want to continue to go on other journeys with them, right? And so then it becomes about finding the right story for what that future journey is. And that's really the key, I think, at least for me."
Charting that journey can be kind of tricky, and, for Wan, it's important to not be a one-and-done director. As he told Hall:
"I would direct the first movie. And then I would direct the second movie. And if I feel like I've told everything I wanted to tell as a director, then I am willing to pass it on to someone else and let someone else take the baton and run with it if I feel like I have nothing else to say."
Treating your audience with respect is just good movie-making business
You can't argue with the results. The fifth "Insidious" film (subtitled "The Red Door") just grossed $186.2 million globally on a $16 million budget, driving the franchise's worldwide box office total to $741.3 million (an amazing figure when you consider the combined budget for all five movies is $42.5 million). As for the "Conjuring" universe, "The Nun II" became the series' ninth installment (assuming you count "The Curse of La Llorona") when it grossed a tidy $268.1 million worldwide last fall. These films have racked up a staggering $2.37 billion total on a combined budget of $218 million.
Wan's cost-conscious approach is almost as impressive as his gift for spinning creepy yarns that never feel like retreads. He's not running a smash-and-grab operation like several major studios did during the slasher film craze of the 1980s. He respects the fans, and wants to give them a unique, satisfying experience every time out.
And there's no reason "The Conjuring" universe can't keep expanding. The Warrens' artifact room is bursting with eerie objects. As long as Wan keeps hiring capable artists like Gary Dauberman, Akela Cooper, and Michael Chaves, "The Conjuring" should be with us for a very long time.
"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" hits theaters on December 22, 2023.