Search a film or person :
FacebookConnectionRegistration
Leigh Whannell is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter, Producer and Creator Australien born on 17 january 1977 at Melbourne (Australie)

Leigh Whannell

Leigh Whannell
If you like this person, let us know!
Birth name Leigh Whannell
Nationality Australie
Birth 17 january 1977 (47 years) at Melbourne (Australie)

Leigh Whannell (born 17 January 1977) is an Australian screenwriter, producer, director and actor. He is best known for writing films directed by his friend James Wan, including Saw (2004), Dead Silence (2007), Death Sentence (2007), Insidious (2011) and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013). Whannell made his directorial debut on Insidious: Chapter 3, which was released in 2015.
Whannell and Wan are the creators of the Saw franchise. Whannel 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 four of the installments. He was also the writer of the Saw video game (2009), and co-writer of the 2014 film Cooties.

Biography

Early life
Whannell was born in Melbourne, Australia, and believes that he inherited his love of storytelling from his mother and his fondness of filmmaking from his father (Whannell's father was a cameraman in the television industry).


Television
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.
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 ..."


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

While in film school, Whannell met James Wan, who would eventually go on to direct the horror film Saw (co-written by Wan and Whannell) in 2004. After making a short film to showcase the intensity of the script, the feature film was made and became a low-budget sleeper hit in late 2004. Whannell played Adam Stanheight 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 and they wrote a film called Dead Silence, which Wan directed. It was slated for a 2006 release, but small problems with the title pushed the release date back to March 2007, when it was released as Dead Silence. In 2006, the duo composed the story for Saw III, with Whannell writing 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 was a huge financial success and raked in $33,610,391 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.



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, aka 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, Jigsaw/John Kramer, 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."

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

As of 2011, Whannell and Wan are developing a new feature, X-Ray, a film that the pair have worked on over a long period of time. In relation to the Saw franchise, Whannell stated, also in 2011:



It’s hard to day 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.
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.

Best films

Saw III (2006)
(Original Film Writer)
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
(Actor)
Saw II (2005)
(Original Film Writer)
Saw IV (2007)
(Original Film Writer)
Saw 3D (2010)
(Original Film Writer)
Jigsaw (2017)
(Original Film Writer)

Usually with

James Wan
James Wan
(18 films)
Angus Sampson
Angus Sampson
(7 films)
Charlie Clouser
Charlie Clouser
(12 films)
Mark Burg
Mark Burg
(10 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Leigh Whannell (31 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Insidious: The Last Key, 1h44
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror
Themes Films about children, Ghost films, Films about child abuse
Actors Lin Shaye, Caitlin Gerard, Spencer Locke, Javier Botet, Josh Stewart, Kirk Acevedo
Roles Specs
Rating57% 2.86052.86052.86052.86052.8605
Des années avant les événements des trois précédents films, durant la jeunesse d'Elise Rainier dans le Nouveau-Mexique, cette dernière commence à être hantée par un esprit maléfique et démoniaque dans sa propre maison, la poussant plus profondément dans le Lointain (« The Further »). Plusieurs années après, une famille dit être victime d'événements paranormaux et fait appel à Elise. Seulement cette fameuse famille habite dans sa maison d'enfance et le démon qui hantait Elise dans le passé, semble être revenu...
Aquaman
Aquaman (2018)
, 2h23
Directed by James Wan
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Romance
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Seafaring films, Transport films, Underwater action films, Superhero films, Super-héros inspiré de comics, Films set in Atlantis
Actors Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Kekoa Kekumano, Dolph Lundgren, Patrick Wilson
Roles Cargo Pilot
Rating68% 3.401283.401283.401283.401283.40128
Arthur, alias Aquaman, est un super-héros dont l'univers de prédilection est le monde aquatique. Préférant vivre dans le monde des humains à la surface, il va être entrainé dans une aventure afin de devenir le roi des océans.
The Bye Bye Man, 1h36
Directed by Stacy Title
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Fantastic, Horror
Actors Douglas Smith, Carrie-Anne Moss, Faye Dunaway, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Doug Jones
Roles Larry Redmon
Rating43% 2.169482.169482.169482.169482.16948
Elliot, sa petite amie Sasha et leur ami John s'installent dans une maison abandonnée près de leur campus et libèrent par mégarde une entité surnaturelle, le Bye Bye Man. Sa particularité est de hanter ceux qui prononcent son nom. Le seul moyen d'échapper à sa malédiction est le suivant : ne pas le dire, ne pas y penser.
Insidious: Chapter 3, 1h38
Directed by Leigh Whannell
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror
Themes Films about children, Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, Transgender in film, Ghost films, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Actors Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Hayley Kiyoko, Ashton Moio, Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott
Roles Specs
Rating61% 3.0523753.0523753.0523753.0523753.052375
A few years before the events of the first film, retired parapsychologist, Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye), reluctantly uses her spiritual ability to contact the spirit of Quinn Brenner's (Stefanie Scott) mother, Lillith, who died a year before. However, she urges Quinn not to make contact with her mother again after she senses that the spirit is not Lillith. Quinn begins to see a mysterious figure waving at her from a distance, and following her unsuccessful attempt to win an audition for a prestigious drama school, she is hit by a car and briefly flatlines before waking up with her leg cast.
Cooties
Cooties (2014)
, 1h28
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Horror comedy, Action, Horror
Themes Medical-themed films, Zombie films, Films about viral outbreaks, Comedy horror films, Disaster films
Actors Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Rainn Wilson, Jack McBrayer, Jorge Garcia, Nasim Pedrad
Roles Doug
Rating57% 2.8525252.8525252.8525252.8525252.852525
In the town of Ft. Chicken, Illinois, a fourth grade student at Ft. Chicken Elementary, Shelly Linker (Sunny May Allison), consumes a tainted chicken nugget covered in black splotches. Elsewhere, wannabe horror writer Clint Hadson (Elijah Wood) substitutes at Ft. Chicken Elementary, where he reunites with his former high school crush, Lucy McCormick, (Allison Pill), but discovers she is dating Wade Johnson (Rainn Wilson), the PE teacher.
The Mule
The Mule (2014)
, 1h43
Directed by Angus Sampson
Origin Australie
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Seafaring films, Films about drugs, Transport films
Actors Hugo Weaving, Angus Sampson, Ewen Leslie, Leigh Whannell, Georgina Haig, John Noble
Roles Gavin Ellis
Rating62% 3.1492453.1492453.1492453.1492453.149245
In 1983 Australia, television repairman Ray Jenkins (Angus Sampson) and his football team celebrate the end of their season by spending the weekend in Thailand. Ray's best friend Gavin (Leigh Whannell), a small-time criminal working for local property owner/crime lord Pat Shepherd (John Noble), asks Ray to transport heroin on flight back. Ray refuses, but finds out his step-father is deeply in gambling debt, and his mother will be targeted if he does not pay up. He agrees to transport the heroin. In Thailand, while wandering through the markets, Gavin goes to pick up half a kilogram of heroin to bring back to Pat. Before he leaves, he purchases an extra half kilogram to sell on his own. At the hotel, Gavin hides the heroin in condoms, coercing Ray to swallow them. Upon their arrival at Melbourne Airport, Ray begins to panic and is eventually detained by customs officials. Believing that Ray is a drug trafficker, he is arrested by Australian Federal Police agents Croft and Paris (Hugo Weaving and Ewen Leslie). Ray's lawyer Jasmine Griffiths (Georgina Haig) tells Ray that he can only be held in a hotel room for four days.
The Pardon
The Pardon (2013)

Origin USA
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Films about capital punishment
Actors Jaime King, Jason Lewis, M. C. Gainey, Leigh Whannell, John Hawkes, T.J. Thyne
Roles Clement Moss
Rating55% 2.756352.756352.756352.756352.75635
Murder. With all the picturesque glamour of the 1940s, The Pardon recounts the unlikely true story of Toni Jo Henry (Jaime King), a woman tried three times and executed in Louisiana, 1942.
Raze
Raze (2013)
, 1h27
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Action, Horror
Actors Zoë Bell, Rachel Nichols, Tracie Thoms, Sherilyn Fenn, Doug Jones, Bruce Thomas
Roles Security Guard
Rating51% 2.5516752.5516752.5516752.5516752.551675
Sabrina (Zoë Bell), along with 49 other women, are kidnapped by the diabolical husband and wife team of Elizabeth (Sherilyn Fenn) and Joseph (Doug Jones). The women are told that they will fight to the death for the entertainment of a group of bored rich people. If they lose or refuse to fight, a sniper will kill their loved ones.
Crush
Crush (2013)
, 1h34
Directed by Jake Paltrow
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller, Action
Actors Lucas Till, Nicholas Hoult, Elle Fanning, Sarah Bolger, Michael Shannon, Crystal Marie Reed
Roles David
Rating56% 2.8090852.8090852.8090852.8090852.809085
A promising high school soccer player, Scott (Lucas Till), injures his knee in a game and doctors say it might take up to two years for his knee to heal. His father is against his playing soccer and wishes that he takes rest until he recovers completely. Later after 6 months, Jules (Sarah Bolger) likes him but Scott is fixated on recovering his physical condition and considers her his best friend. Bess (Crystal Reed) a girl studying in Scott's high school, has a crush on Scott, and works in a store owned by David (Leigh Whannell) with her mature colleague Andie (Caitriona Balfe). Bess keep sending love letters to Scott but Scott doesn't realize who has sent them and ignores them.
Insidious: Chapter 2, 1h46
Directed by James Wan
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror
Themes Films about children, Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, Transgender in film, Ghost films, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Actors Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Garrett Ryan, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey
Roles Specs
Rating65% 3.252093.252093.252093.252093.25209
In 1986, Carl calls his friend Elise Ranier to help discover what is haunting Lorraine Lambert's son, Josh. After hypnotizing Josh, Elise attempts to find the location of Josh's "friend", an old woman who appears in photographs of him. She makes her way to his bedroom closet and is scratched on the arm. When they return to Josh, he stands up in a trance, and says, "I'll show you," before walking to a door and pointing at it as it opens on its own. Lorraine, Carl and Elise agree that making Josh forget his astral projection abilities is the best thing to do.
Justin and the Knights of Valour, 1h30
Origin Espagne
Genres Fantasy, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Children's films
Actors Saoirse Ronan, Freddie Highmore, Mark Strong, Antonio Banderas, Julie Walters, Olivia Williams
Roles Joseph
Rating59% 2.9981352.9981352.9981352.9981352.998135
Justin (Freddie Highmore) lives in the kingdom of Gabylonia, where bureaucrats rule and knights have been ousted. His dream is to become one of the Knights of Valour, like his grandfather, Sir Roland. But his father Reginald (Alfred Molina), a widower and the chief counsel to the Queen (Olivia Williams), wants his son to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer. After an argument with his father, Justin seeks comfort from his grandmother (Julie Walters), a friend of the Queen, who encourages him to follow his dreams. Justin notices that his grandfather's sword is missing. He decides to go and find his grandfather's sword as his quest. His grandmother gives him a key which originally belonged to his grandfather and tells him to go to an abbey where three wise monks would train him. Before Justin leaves on his quest, he visits his crush Lara (Tamsin Egerton) who is a spoilt brat and the daughter of the kingdom's greatest economic. He wants to say farewell to her, though she is not really listening.
Insidious
Insidious (2011)
, 1h42
Directed by James Wan
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror
Themes Films about children, Demons in film, Ghost films
Actors Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell
Roles Specs
Rating68% 3.4009253.4009253.4009253.4009253.400925
A married couple Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne), their sons Dalton (Ty Simpkins) and Foster (Andrew Astor), and infant daughter Cali have recently moved into a new home. One night, Dalton is drawn to the attic when he hears creaking noises and sees the door open by itself. He falls from a ladder while investigating and sees a figure in the shadows. Hearing his terrified screams, Renai and Josh rush to his aid and declare the attic "off limits" to the children. The next day, Dalton falls into an inexplicable coma.
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, 1h32
Directed by Zack Snyder
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Seafaring films, Transport films, Films about birds, Children's films
Actors Jim Sturgess, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Barclay, Anthony LaPaglia, Emilie de Ravin, Joel Edgerton
Roles Jatt (voice)
Rating68% 3.4487353.4487353.4487353.4487353.448735
Soren, a young Barn owl, lives in the Tyto Forest with his family: his father, Noctus; his mother, Marella; his older brother, Kludd; his younger sister, Eglantine; and Mrs. P, the family's nest maid, a kindly blind snake. Soren enjoys listening to the 'Legends of Ga'Hoole,' which are mythical tales of warrior owls called the Guardians who fight against the Pure Ones. Kludd berates his brother's dreams, having grown tired of listening to the stories. When their father teaches them the first steps to flying, Kludd becomes jealous of Soren's natural branching ability. Later, when practicing branching while their parents are hunting, Kludd pushes Soren off a branch which forces them both to fall to the ground. They are attacked by a Tasmanian devil but are saved, and then kidnapped, by two owls, Jatt and Jutt.
Saw 3D
Saw 3D (2010)
, 1h27
Directed by Kevin Greutert
Origin Canada
Genres Thriller, Horror, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Psychologie, Serial killer films, Films about psychiatry
Actors Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flanery, Cary Elwes, Gina Holden
Roles Adam Stanheight (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rating55% 2.7564052.7564052.7564052.7564052.756405
Two men, Brad and Ryan, wake up in a metropolitan storefront window. Each man is bound at the wrists to opposite side of a worktable with a circular saw in front of them. Their mutual lover, Dina, is suspended above a third saw. As a crowd gathers and police attempt to break the window, a puppet informs the men that one of them can kill the other or they can let Dina die. They initially fight each other, during which Brad is cut, but they soon realize Dina's betrayal and allow her to die instead.
Saw VI
Saw VI (2009)
, 1h30
Directed by Kevin Greutert
Origin Canada
Genres Thriller, Horror
Themes Medical-themed films, Psychologie, Serial killer films, Films about psychiatry
Actors Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, Shawnee Smith
Rating60% 3.003573.003573.003573.003573.00357
Predatory lenders Simone and Eddie awaken on either side of a room split by a cage containing a scale, wearing head harnesses with screws poised to pierce their temples. They learn via videotape that the one who sets more flesh weight on their tray will survive. Eddie cuts fat from his torso, but Simone chops off her arm, which tilts the scale in her favor; the timer expires, and Eddie is killed by the screws. While he reviews the game's footage, Detective Lt. Mark Hoffman is called to the scene by FBI Agent Dan Erickson, who found Agent Peter Strahm's fingerprints around the room. Also present is Agent Lindsey Perez, whose survival was covered up by Erickson for her protection. They learn from Dr. Adam Heffner, who performed all of the autopsies for the Jigsaw case, that the knife used to cut the jigsaw piece from Eddie's flesh was only used on Seth Baxter before then. The agents intend to find the Baxter videotape to prove Strahm's involvement.