After a few years of making middling movies like Dead Silence and Death Sentence, James Wan has begun to emerge as one of the big name directors in Hollywood. Both The Conjuring and Insidious Chapter 2 were incredibly big hits last year (both made on very tiny budgets), and next year we will get to see his first step into blockbuster filmmaking with the release of Fast & Furious 7. Given his career trajectory, it was only a matter of time before the comic book movie genre came calling, and it seems that the folks at Warner Bros., New Line and DC Comics are striking first.
Buried in an article about James Wan signing on to direct The Conuring 2 and inking a producing deal with Warner Bros., Deadline has revealed that the major studio is very much interested in the idea of having the filmmaker take the helm of one of their upcoming DC Comics adaptations. Nothing seems to be set in stone just yet, and directing features isn't actually part of the new deal, but New Line president/COO Toby Emmerich has revealed that Wan is one of the filmmakers that the company is trying to make feel at home - and part of that could be letting him take control of one of their biggest potential properties. Said Emmerich
"New Line has always been a big believer in great filmmakers emerging from the horror genre, and he has the potential to grow like Frank Darabont did, from writing A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 to writing and directing The Shawshank Redemption. James will make an important movie for New Line and Warner Bros or DC, and that is definitely part of the plan, and a reason for bringing him into the family. He’s the only overall director with a deal here, because we see him as a class of one."
Directing The Conjuring 2 will certainly eat up a good amount of time in Wan's schedule, the film currently penciled in for a non-specific release date in 2016, but beyond that it seems like the sky is the limit when it comes to the idea of James Wan directing a DC Comics adaptation. Thanks to last week's big announcement, we now know that there will be eight different comic book movies from DC coming out between 2017 and 2020, and while it looks like the two Justice League films are going to be helmed by Zack Snyder, that still leaves Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Shazam, Cyborg and Green Lantern as possibilities.
It's very possible that even more DC Comics movies will be announced in the near future, but of the current slate, which movie could you realistically see James Wan directing? Answer our poll below, and tell us what you think in the comments section!
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