Leigh Whannell is a name that you might have been hearing a lot of as of late considering that he’s just put out one of the more exciting movies of the decade in The Invisible Man, and it could hopefully light a spark that could bring back the monster movies of old and create a universe in which they can actually exist. While Leigh isn’t alone in doing this obviously his vision has still made it possible for people to hope that it could and will happen again given that so far The Invisible Man is tracking pretty well in the box office. Whether his influence continues to spread though, as it did with the Saw movies, will be interesting to see since after a while people do have to switch things up and come at the business from a different angle to insure that they’re not seen as stale and boring. Thus far Leigh has been able to do this as he’s backed off a bit only to come forward once again to place his stamp on a movie and on the American public as the movie is something that gets people thinking and keeps them entertained. Saw was that way for a long time but it was also in a continual state of change, which worked in its favor.
Here are a few things about Leigh you might not have known.
10. His father was a cameraman in the TV industry.
This was one of his points of inspiration as his storytelling side is something he gets from his mother apparently. But with this kind of influence it’s easy to see how he ended up where he is.
9. He’s been writing since he was a child.
Some dreams don’t just go away, especially if a kid has enough inspiration in their life to make it last for a while and keep the story rolling along.
8. His first ever interview with a celebrity was with Jackie Chan.
There was a point and time when he wasn’t that well known and had to work his way up to where he is now, but so far Leigh has done this in a manner that is kind of impressive as well as indicative of how immersed in his work he likes to be.
7. He has a minor role in The Matrix Reloaded and had a part in the Enter the Matrix game.
A lot of people have probably missed this at one point since the Matrix movies have focused so much on Keanu Reeves as the One and the rest of the main cast. It’s usually pretty interesting to figure out that someone else is in the movie that a person might not have expected.
6. Leigh wrote the script for and even acted in Insidious.
He definitely likes to get into his work it would appear since it’s kind of obvious that he’s not the type of guy to just sit back and observe the whole time given that he’s played some very noticeable roles in the past.
5. Apparently he’s currently working on a reboot to Escape from New York.
What you might think of this depends on how much of a fan you are of John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, and possibly the movie in question. For the time it was a great idea that kind of came and went without that much fanfare after the fact. But if it could be made again, and all sources point to the idea that it will, it’s a big hope that it will be even better this time around.
4. To sell the seriousness of Saw he actually used a real bear trap as a prop to showcase the idea.
There are definitely stories aplenty in Hollywood about the crazy things that people have done to impress others or to show that they’re serious about one thing or another, but Leigh obviously wanted to impress upon those in charge just how maniacal Saw was supposed to be.
3. He virtually ignored the test screening notes for The Invisible Man.
As Brian David of The Hollywood Reporter writes Leigh went on his own initiative when it came to the opening of the movie and didn’t really pay much attention to the idea that people might be displeased with his work. And he was proven right actually.
2. He has a really impressive net worth.
Any time that a person’s net worth exceeds more than $10 million it’s definitely easy to see that they’ve gone beyond mere accomplishment and have done something that people might describe as legendary at one point or another. Given that Leigh’s is around $55 million it’s very easy to say that he’ll be remembered for some time to come.
1. He and James Wan met in film school.
The two men have collaborated a few times in the past and it’s been a delight to the fans to see what they come up with and how out of control their ideas appear to go at times.
He’s definitely got a lot more in the tank.
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