Iconic horror director James Wan has a new film called Malignant that is set to come out this year and Deadline reports Warner Bros. finally announced a release date. There is basically no plot description provided for Malignant and all that's really known about it so far is the cast and that it's a horror film. However, due to Wan's history with the genre, fans of horror are excited about this one.
Wan is known primarily as the creator of the Saw series, which is the second highest-grossing horror franchise of all time, but he also directed the first and second installments of both The Conjuring and Insidious series, which cements him as one of this century's most respected horror directors. Outside of the horror genre, he also directed the seventh film in the Fast & Furious series as well as the DCEU's Aquaman. As of 2020, he's on record as one of the top 20 grossing directors of all time. Though it was suspected that this film was based on his graphic novel Malignant Man, Wan has confirmed that it's not based on an already existing IP. It'll be his first film not part of an already existing franchise since 2013.
Although there's not much known as of yet about Malignant, the cast and crew has Wan written all over it. It stars Annabelle Wallis, who was the lead in Annabelle, which was the first The Conjuring spin-off, as well as Mckenna Grace, who starred in the film's sequel Annabelle Comes Home. Grace has been making a bit of a name for herself in horror as of late, as she also has roles in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and The Haunting of Hill House. Wan also worked with his real-life wife, Ingrid Bisu, on the story of Malignant.
The film has been slated for a September 10, 2021 release and it is under the Warner Bros. and HBO Max contract, so it will be in both cinemas and on the streaming service at the same time. Like countless other films, Malignant is one that has been through release date changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally meant to be released in August of last year but was already removed from the release schedule in March of 2020. Only now has an updated release date been announced.
Meanwhile, Wan is also being courted by Warner Bros. to direct its developing Aquaman sequel, which he is currently attached to as a producer. The filmmaker is also bringing his experience in the horror genre as the producer of an Aquaman spin-off centered on The Trench.
Malignant will be released on HBO Max and in select theaters in the U.S. on September 10, 2021.
Source: Deadline