“Those characters have run their course”: Insidious Writer Wants a Franchise Reboot or Remake to Escape its Legacy Characters

Insidious is one of the most successful horror franchises, and this success is at least partly due to James Wan’s phenomenal filmmaking skills. The franchise debuted all the way back in 2010 and a new installment was released last year.

In fact, this year, the franchise is expanding its concept with a live theatrical experience, which is probably the closest fans will ever get to experiencing that universe. That said, original writer, Leigh Whannell wishes the franchise could be reinvented because he feels the characters we have been seeing for years need to retire.

Insidious Writer Leigh Whannell Wants the Franchise to Be Reimagined

The first movie of the Insidious franchise released more than a decade ago, followed the story of the Lambert family. The family’s young son, Dalton falls from a ladder and hits his head, slipping into a coma. However, as the story moves forward, psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) reveals that Dalton’s spirit is trapped in a dark dimension known as ‘The Further’.

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Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson), Dalton’s father, could go and back from that dimension on his own so he ventures there and manages to save his son despite the evil forces he had to battle with in the journey. The movie spawned two sequels, and two prequel/spinoffs which explore Elise Rainier’s background as a psychic.

While James Wan directed the first two movies, Leigh Whannell wrote the first four movies of the franchise and even starred as one of Elise’s paranormal investigators. During a recent conversation with ComicBook, Whannell expressed his desire to see a fresh perspective in the franchise. He said:

I think those characters have run their course. I would like to see someone reinvent that series a little bit, do something new with it.

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Whannell’s point of view is understandable because the Lambert family has already appeared in three movies and Elise Rainier’s backstory has also been explored in two movies. Considering there is an entire dimension known as ‘The Further’ that can be explored further, there is a lot that can be done even without the original characters.

Leigh Whannell on What is Next for the Horror Franchise

The fifth installment of the franchise, Insidious: The Red Door was released last year. The movie was directed by Patrick Wilson in his directorial debut and written by Scott Teems from a story by Whannell and Teems. When asked what is next for the franchise, Whannell said:

I don’t know what’s happening with it right now. We’re trying to do something with it, but you know how it goes with movies: Just when you think you’re starting with something, it’s over, and then it starts up again, and so you’ll probably know about it before I do.

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Insidious: The Red Door did not do well in terms of ratings but performed somewhat well at the box office. Its subsequent release on Netflix, however, earned it a significant amount of fanfare.