Shortly after world premiering the new trailer for The Conjuring 2 at WonderCon (watch it here), I landed an extended video interview with director James Wan. During our wide-ranging conversation he talked about the delicate balancing act of cutting a trailer so it doesn’t ruin the movie, how he design scares, his relationship with Warner Bros./ New Line after so much success in the horror genre, his production company and what kinds of films he wants to produce, why the Annabelle sequel going to be better than the first film, how he got involved in Lights Out (which also has a great-looking trailer), ways Hollywood can improve diversity in their films, and a lot more. Check out what he had to say below. The Conjuring 2 is in theaters June 10th.
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James Wan:
- The balancing act when releasing a trailer between selling the movie but not revealing too much.
- What did he learn from friends and family/test screenings that impacted the finished film?
- How does he design scares and when does he know he’s figured it out?
- What’s his relationship with the studio after so much success in the horror genre?
- Why is the Annabelle sequel going to be better than the first film?
- What can audiences look forward to in Light’s Out and how did he get involved in the project?
- Talks about his production company and what’s coming.
- How can Hollywood increase diversity in their films?
- Talks about how it’s great when people know about what you’re working on because it’s easier to sell the project to audiences.
