Right back at the beginning of his career, James Wan was earmarked as a director to keep an eye on. After charging out of the gate ten years ago with the release of torture porn yardstick, Saw, his innovative take on scares completely rrevitalizedthe horror genre. As he’s continued to venture down that path with both Insidious and The Conjuring, it came as a surprise to many when news broke that he had signed on to direct Fast & Furious 7. But wait a second, the internet cried, a horror auteur helming an octane-laced car movie?
The prospect of a lo-fi scaremonger like Wan tackling a big budget blockbuster like Fast & Furious 7 is one that seems to have paid off massively. His approach to helming a monstrous sequel – with a lot riding on it – appears to be exactly the same as his view on smaller flicks. Speaking to Collider, Wan broke down just how he managed a bigger production:
“The size of the budget doesn’t make that much of a difference because the kind of issues I have on a low budget film I I have on a big budget film as well, but they’re just much bigger. It doesn’t matter how big or small your film is, you still don’t have enough money. You don’t have enough time to shoot it. When you’re making a bigger movie you have much bigger set pieces that require more time and more effort and more people.
There’s no fear there that the man can’t handle the pressure! That being said, the shoot was no doubt a tough experience for all involved. He went on to reveal that he shared the weight of delivering a solid follow-up with his producer, and that overall, he’s pretty dang happy with the end result:
But Fast 7 is definitely the hardest movie I’ve had to do in my career. And it’s not just me. Neil Moritz [the film’s producer] has been doing this for a long time and is a very successful, seasoned producer and he said that to me too. That Fast 7 is the hardest movie he’s ever had to make as well in his entire career. And it’s very true. But I think the final product will surprise a lot of people. It’s that hardest film I’ve ever had to make but it’s also the one I’m proudest of. I’m really proud of this film.”
While he doesn’t explicitly cite the tragic death of Paul Walker, you’ve got to wonder just how much of an effect that had on production and the cast and crew. With talk of a trailer lingering just on the horizon, it won’t be long before we can feast our eyes on a glimpse at this surprising sequel.
Fast & Furious 7 zooms into theatres on April 3rd, 2015.