And if you ask us, Hollywood director James Wan is greater than great.
Wan-derful achievement
The Malaysia-born director (yes, James Wan is a Malaysian) has, once again, made the country proud.According to a report by The Star Online, the 43-year-old was given a spot on 2020’s Variety500 for the fourth consecutive time.
Since Variety500, a sister magazine of popular entertainment publication Variety, was first published in 2017, that means Wan has made the list every year since its inception.
What a Wan-derful achievement, don't you think?
According to Variety500, a magazine that honours key leaders in the global entertainment industry annually, Wan was honoured for his contributions in the horror genre.
"In addition to his latest directorial effort, the thriller 'Malignant', which had its release delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Wan is producing 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It', the ninth installment in the 'Saw' series, 'Spiral' and the 'Mortal Kombat' reboot, all coming in 2021.
"He’s also prepping an 'Aquaman' sequel and developing a big-screen adaptation of the 1980s TV series 'Knight Rider',” said the magazine.
Rise to fame
In case you're wondering, Wan was born on 26 February 1977 in Kuching, Sarawak.He later moved to Perth, Australia with his family when he was seven. He later attended RMIT University in Melbourne, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Media in 1998.
Wan directed his first film, 'Stygian', back in 2000. It did pretty well, as it won the 'Best Guerrilla Film' award at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF) that year.
But Wan's big break came in 2003, when his horror-thriller film 'Saw' -- which he made with a small budget of just USD1.2 million (RM4.85 million) -- became a box-office hit worldwide, grossing more than USD103 million (RM416 million).
Wan's success with the horror genre saw him being handpicked to direct some of the biggest horror films we've seen to date, including the 'Insidious' and 'The Conjuring' franchises and their spin-off movies.
He then 'graduated' to directing Hollywood blockbusters such as 'Fast & Furious 7' and DC's 'Aquaman'.
His upcoming project is 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It', the third film in the popular 'The Conjuring' series. Check out the link below to find out what it is all about: