James Wan discusses the ‘Aquaman’ sequel, working with Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson, and the inspiration behind his scary movies
A household name for creating some of the world’s best horror films, Malaysian-born director James Wan made a pitstop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently to promote his latest film, Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom. The Aquaman sequel, which stars Jason Momoa (Arthur Curry/Aquaman) and Patrick Wilson (Orm Marius/Ocean Master), is said to be one of the most anticipated sequels of 2023.
Read more: 9 most anticipated movie sequels of 2023
It was a momentous return to Malaysia for Los Angeles-based Wan, who was born in Kuching, Sarawak, as he hadn’t been back in the country in 35 years. During the press conference, he revealed that among the first few things he did was indulge in his favourite Malaysian fare. “I ordered laksa, Hainanese chicken rice and of course, I ordered some durians,” the Asia's Most Influential honouree enthused.
Speaking to Tatler after the press conference, Wan discussed the Aquaman sequel, working with Momoa and Wilson, the inspiration behind his scary movies, genres he’d like to explore, and more.
In every culture and race, there’s some shape or form of supernatural. For your horror works, which one do you draw the most inspiration from?
It’s interesting, I do get asked that. I definitely... and I’m not just saying this but I do find myself to be quite heavily inspired by sort of the Asian culture and Asian ghost stories that I grew up with, hearing them from my grandparents, aunties and uncles. They inform me a fair bit when I make my scary films and the key for me is trying to find out the best way to kind of convey the feeling I get when I hear these stories because they scare me. It’s like, how do I make it scary for an audience watching it? It’s a mixture of the Asian flavour that meets that Hollywood style of filmmaking. It’s about finding that balance.
You’re a horror maestro but you’ve also done action and superhero films. Can you explain what that shift was like?
I would say in terms of the philosophy of filmmaking, not much is different. I always say that it doesn’t matter if I’m making a movie in the horror genre or a big action fantasy film, the spirit of storytelling is the same. It’s about finding the things that feel real and grounded and that people can relate to. But of course, on the surface, visually, I have more toys to play with! I get a bigger budget to play with and I can create set pieces that are more fantastical. And so that, to me, is the big difference. But in terms of the process of storytelling, they’re very similar.
Are there any specific genres or themes you’re eager to tackle that you haven’t had the chance to explore yet?
I know I joke about this but I would love to make a romantic comedy one day. I feel like in my action adventure movies, I do touch on that a little bit, those themes. But it’d be nice to do something that’s just an old-school romantic movie. You know, I’d love to do that maybe one day, but I just have to find the right project to do that.