Leigh Whannell

Leigh Whannell
Whannell in 2018
Born	(1977-01-17) 17 January 1977 (age 47) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupations	Actor screenwriter producer director
Years active	1996–present
Signature

Leigh Whannell (/ˈli ˈwɑːnɛl/;^[1] born 17 January 1977) is an Australian filmmaker and actor. He has written multiple films that were directed by his friend James Wan, including Saw (2004), Dead Silence (2007), Insidious (2010), and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013). Whannell made his directorial debut with Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), and has since directed two more films, Upgrade (2018) and The Invisible Man (2020).

Whannell and Wan are the creators of the Saw franchise. Whannell wrote the first installment, co-wrote the second and third installments, was producer or executive producer for all the films, and appeared as the Adam Stanheight character in three of the installments.^[2] He was also the writer of the Saw video game (2009), and co-writer of the 2014 film Cooties.

Career

Television

Whannell in 2010

Whannell was born 17 January 1977.^[3]

A writer since childhood, Whannell worked as a reporter and film critic for several Australian television shows, including ABC's Recovery, a Saturday morning youth-oriented program that was hosted by Dylan Lewis. Whannell has described the show in a 2011 blog post:

The result was that instead of following the usual MTV ideal of what teenagers want in a TV show—"Hey kids, coming up next we’ve got some seriously WICKED windsurfing moves!!”—Recovery managed to tap into the so-called "alternative" movement that was in full swing at the time by giving teenagers what they actually want: genuine, unpolished anarchy.^[4]

Whannell had originally auditioned for the host role, but was later employed as a reporter; Whannell's first interview was with Jackie Chan and he has stated that "Recovery is the best job I've ever had ...".^[4]

Whannell appeared in Episode 4, Season 1 of the RMITV production Under Melbourne Tonight presents What's Goin' On There? on 10 June 1998.^[5]

Film

Whannell in an omitted scene from Saw III in 2006

In 2003, Whannell appeared in a minor role in The Matrix Reloaded, as well as in the video game Enter The Matrix as the character "Axel".

While in film school, Whannell met James Wan. Together, the two wrote a script for what would become Saw. After making a short film in 2003 to showcase the intensity of the Saw script, the feature film version, directed by Wan, was made in 2004 and became a low-budget sleeper hit. Whannell played Adam in the film, one of the main characters. The popularity of Saw led to a sequel, Saw II, which was directed and co-written by Darren Lynn Bousman, and on which Whannell co-wrote and revised Bousman's original script, titled The Desperate. Whannell also served as an executive producer.

Around the same time, Whannell returned to collaborate with Wan; they wrote a film called Dead Silence, which Wan directed. It was originally slated for a 2006 release, but small problems with the title pushed the release date back to March 2007. In 2006, the duo composed the story for Saw III; Whannell wrote the screenplay for the third time. It was again directed by Bousman and was released on 27 October 2006. Whannell has a featured cameo, reprising his role as Adam. Saw III grossed $33,610,391^[6] on its opening weekend, making around $129,927,001 worldwide (after 38 days in cinemas) and is currently the most successful Saw film to date.

Whannell's writing partner, Wan, was chosen to direct the film Death Sentence, the first feature film with their participation that they did not write themselves. Whannell has a small role as Spink in Death Sentence.

Whannell (right) and James Wan (left) attending the Saw 3D premiere on 27 October 2010.

In 2008, Whannell took off his "writing hat" to perform alongside Nathan Phillips in Dying Breed, a low-budget Australian horror film about a team of zoologists exploring the Tasmanian wilderness to locate a creature thought extinct, the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger. Instead, they wander into the domain of cannibals who retain their ancestor Alexander Pearce's taste for human flesh, and become prey.

Before and during the production of Saw, Whannell sought medical treatment. "I was going through a bit of a tough time healthwise and suffering anxiety," says Whannell. "The anxiety manifested itself in physical ways. I was suffering headaches everyday for nearly a year. It was serious stuff and really started affecting my life." Spending time in a hospital inspired him to endow the lead antagonist of the Saw series, John Kramer / Jigsaw, with cancer. "It was weird to be 25 and sitting in a neurological ward and I'm surrounded by people who actually had brain tumors. It was very scary and it was my first proper look at mortality. I really wanted to get my health back and it really hammered home how important good health is. If you've got that, you've got everything".^[7]

Whannell wrote the script for and acted in the 2011 paranormal thriller film, Insidious, which was directed by Wan and produced by Oren Peli.^[8]

In relation to the Saw franchise, Whannell stated, also in 2011:

It's hard to say definitively, because we don't own the copyright for it. The producers could make 10 more if they wanted to. But, if we're to take them at face value, they told us that they were definitely done with it. They're pretty exhausted. They've been making one a year every year for the past seven years, so I think they need some time off.^[9]

Media reports were published in mid-2013 in regard to Cooties, a film project that Whannell is an executive producer, actor and screenwriter for. The film's plot concerns an extreme virus that infects an isolated elementary school.^[10] Whannell made his directing debut on the sequel Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), which he also wrote.^[11][12]

In 2014, Whannell expressed possible interest in returning to the Saw franchise;^[13] however, in a November 2013 post on his personal blog, Whannell described a new chapter beyond his partnership with Wan, as the director had finally reached his goal of making epic-style blockbuster productions. Whannel explained: "Now, he's off making the films he's always wanted to make – the big ones. I have no doubt that his name will be added to that special club of film directors that he's always admired very soon. I'm so happy for him, like a proud father. And that is why it is the end of an era." Whannell also added that he doesn't rule out collaborating with Wan again, but he felt like he needs to direct a film for the first time.^[14]

Whannell was writer-director of the science fiction body horror film Upgrade, which was released by Blumhouse Tilt and OTL Releasing in 2018 to positive reception. Whannell next wrote, directed, and co-executive produced a retooling of H. G. Wells' book The Invisible Man. The film starred Elisabeth Moss and Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and was released in 2020 to universal critical acclaim; it grossed $145 million on a $7 million budget.^[15] In July 2020, it was announced that he is working on a sequel to The Invisible Man. Whannell is currently working on a reboot of Escape from New York. He is also producing and directing a sequel series to Upgrade. In June 2022, he was in talks to direct a reboot film based on the Green Hornet titled The Green Hornet and Kato from Amasia Entertainment and Universal Pictures^[16] The success of The Invisible Man led Universal Pictures to team with him again on Wolf Man, which he co-wrote with his wife, Corbett Tuck.^[17][18] The film stars Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner and is set to be released in January 2025.^[19]

Filmography

Short film

Year	Title	Writer	Executive Producer
2003	Saw 0.5	Yes	Yes
2008	Doggie Heaven	Yes	No
2018	Home Shopper	Story	Yes

Feature film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Executive Producer	Notes
2004	Saw	No	Yes	No
2005	Saw II	No	Yes	Yes
2006	Saw III	No	Yes	Yes
2007	Dead Silence	No	Yes	No
2010	Insidious	No	Yes	No
2013	Insidious: Chapter 2	No	Yes	No
2014	Cooties	No	Yes	Yes
	The Mule	No	Yes	Yes
2015	Insidious: Chapter 3	Yes	Yes	No	Directorial debut
2018	Insidious: The Last Key	No	Yes	No	Also producer
	Upgrade	Yes	Yes	Yes
2020	The Invisible Man	Yes	Yes	Yes
2023	Insidious: The Red Door	No	Story	No	Also producer
2025	Wolf Man	Yes	Yes	Yes	Post-production

Executive producer only

• Saw IV (2007)
• Saw V (2008)
• Saw VI (2009)
• Saw 3D (2010)
• Jigsaw (2017)
• Spiral (2021)
• Saw X (2023)

Acting roles

Year	Title	Roles	Notes
1996	Neighbours	Stuart Maughan	2 episodes
1996–2000	Recovery	Himself	ABC Music TV series
1999–2000	Blue Heelers	Jared Ryan	2 episodes
2003	Saw	David	Short film
	The Matrix Reloaded	Axel	[20]
	Razor Eaters	Nick D.
2004	Saw	Adam Stanheight
	One Perfect Day	Chris
2006	Saw III	Adam Stanheight
2007	Death Sentence	Spink
2008	Dying Breed	Matt
2010	Insidious	Specs
2012	Little Brother, Big Trouble: A Christmas Adventure	Jatt (voice)
2013	The Pardon	Clement Moss
	Crush	David
	Raze	Elevator Guard
	Insidious: Chapter 2	Specs
2014	Cooties	Doug	[20]
	The Mule	Gavin
2015	Insidious: Chapter 3	Specs
2017	The Bye Bye Man	Larry
	Keep Watching	Matt Miller
2018	Insidious: The Last Key	Specs
	Aquaman	Cargo Pilot	Cameo[20]
2023	Insidious: The Red Door	Specs

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Enter the Matrix	Actor	Role: Axel[20]
2009	Saw	Writer	[21]

Music videos

Year	Artist	Song	Roles
2021	Deftones	"Ceremony"	Director[22]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result
2005	Fantasporto Awards	Best Screenplay	Saw	Won
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Scream		Nominated
2015	Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards	Best Movie	Insidious: Chapter 3	Nominated
2018	Sitges Film Festival Awards	Secció Oficial Fantàstic	Upgrade	Nominated
	South by Southwest Festival Film Awards	Audience Award – Midnighters		Won
	Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards	Best Original Screenplay		Nominated
	Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards	Best Original Screenplay		Nominated
2019	Fangoria Chainsaw Awards	Best Wide-Release Film		Nominated
	Australian Film Critics Association Awards	Best Screenplay		Nominated
2020	Bram Stoker Awards	Best Screenplay	The Invisible Man	Won
	Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards	Best Screenplay		Nominated
		Best Direction		Nominated
	Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay		Won
		Best Male Director		Nominated
2021	Saturn Awards	Best Director		Nominated
	Fangoria Chainsaw Awards	Best Screenplay		Won
		Best Director		Won
	Austin Film Critics Association Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay		Nominated

References

1. "Leigh Whannell (full interview)". 5 June 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2020 – via YouTube.
2. "Leigh Whannell – IMDb". IMDb. 2 June 2018.
3. Rose, Mike (17 January 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 17, 2023 includes celebrities James Earl Jones, Jim Carrey". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
4. Whannell, Leigh (10 July 2011). "My Years in Recovery: A Sordid Tale of Celebrity, Anarchy And Graffitied Footwear". The Word in the Stone. Leigh Whannell. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
5. "UMT list'98". Archived from the original on 15 January 2014.
6. "Saw III". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
7. Dercksen, Daniel (2007). "Facing Up to the Fear". The Writing Studio. Daniel E. Dercksen. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
8. Barton, Steve (5 February 2010). "Saw Creators Get Insidious with Paranormal Team". Dread Central. Dread Central Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
9. The Infamous Billy The Kidd (30 March 2011). "The Kidd Goes 2-On-1 with the Creators of Saw, James Wan & Leigh Whannell, To Discuss Their New Film Insidious". InfamousKidd.com. InfamousKidd.com. WTF Productions. Archived from the original on 2 April 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
10. Matt Molgaard (15 July 2013). "Leigh Whannell's 'Cooties' Cast Grows with Rainn Wilson and Alison Pill". Best-Horror-Movies.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
11. H. Shaw-Williams (November 2013). "'Insidious: Chapter 3′ Scheduled for a Spring 2015 Release". Screen Rant. Screen Rant, LLC. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
12. "James Wan on Twitter".
13. Pollard, Andrew (17 October 2014). "Leigh Whannell and James Wan to Return for Another SAW?". Starburst. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
14. Leigh Whannell (8 November 2014). "Goodbye to a friend, and hello to....something". The Word in the Stone. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
15. "The Invisible Man (2020 film)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
16. Kroll, Justin (23 June 2022). "'Invisible Man' Director Leigh Whannell Eyeing 'Green Hornet And Kato' Pic at Universal". Deadline. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
17. Kit, Borys (13 December 2023). "Christopher Abbott Replacing Ryan Gosling to Star in Wolf Man for Blumhouse, Universal (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
18. Smith, Tessa (24 October 2024). "NYCC 2024: Wolf Man Director Leigh Whannell Reveals Key Details About Blumhouse's New Horror Remake". Screen Rant. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
19. Ramos Bechara, Diego (6 September 2024). "Wolf Man Trailer: Christopher Abbott Transforms in Bloody Horror Remake". Variety. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
20. Bell, Amanda (28 January 2021). "Why Axel From The Matrix: Reloaded Looks So Familiar". Looper. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
21. "Game Producer David S. Cohen Talks Saw Video Game". Dread Central. CraveOnline. 23 October 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
22. Blistein, Jon (21 April 2021). "Deftones Team With 'Invisible Man' Director Leigh Whannell for New 'Ceremony' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 February 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Leigh Whannell at IMDb