Leigh Whannell debuts as director in Insidious: Chapter 3, says director of Chapters 1 and 2 of the film franchise “happy” with his work
"Wow, you really put your own stamp on it. You didn't just copy my thing," James Wan of The Conjuring fame who also directed the first and second installments in the Insidious film series reportedly told Leigh Whannell after seeing a test run of Insidious: Chapter 3.
Whannel, who also wrote the screenplay as well as acted in the film, in an interview with Collider added: "we have done a test screening and it's a great experience... we actually videotape the audience and watch it back. I'm really proud of this film...I'm really happy with the finished product. I actually think it ties into the first two films [which he wrote and Wan directed], but it's kind of its own thing. Even James said that when he saw, he looked over and was...really happy with that, happy that it was different. I can't wait for people to see it."
Whannel and Wan have also partnered in the creation of the highly successful Saw film franchise which has already expanded with six sequels that have drawn close to $900 million at the box office worldwide. Predominantly a writer and actor, the 37-year-old Whannell took over the directing job in the making of Insidious: Chapter 3 while partner Wan, also 37, is still not yet through with his helming duties for Fast & Furious 7.
Even though his first work as a director has yet to be seen in theaters, Variety magazine has already announced that Whannel is one of the "10 Directors to Watch" for in 2015 who "are expected to go on to great things in Hollywood and abroad" to be profiled and feted at Palm Springs Film Festival on January 4.
Whannell who did the interview largely to promote The Mule which he also co-wrote and starred in told Collider that people should hopefully not be put off by the title of the first film he directed. Said he: "I hope that the title, Insidious: Chapter 3, I hope that doesn't mean that people go in there expecting low quality. There haven't been many good Part threes of anything in the world, I mean not even the Godfather Part 3 was great."