Renowned horror creator James Wan, the mastermind behind iconic franchises like The Conjuring, Insidious, and Saw, is venturing into a bold new genre. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Wan unveiled his latest project, the sci-fi spy series The Copenhagen Test, which he describes as pioneering a fresh category: 'spy-fi'.
From Paranormal to Paranoia: Wan's Genre Leap
While James Wan has built a legendary career on supernatural horror, he has also successfully directed blockbusters like Aquaman and Furious 7. However, he finds ultimate fulfillment in original creation. "Creating your own stuff is always more fulfilling. To bring whatever is in your head to life... to see the fans reacting to it in such a strong, positive way, it's a great experience," Wan shared. He hopes his eight-episode series, now streaming on JioHotstar in India, will resonate with audiences as powerfully as his horror hits.
The show stars Simu Liu (Shang-Chi) as Alexander Hale, a spy whose brain is hacked, forcing him to prove his loyalty to his agency. Wan and the creative team see this premise as the foundation for a new subgenre. "Someone referred to it as 'spy-fi,' which I thought was a really cool way to describe this. This could be a subgenre that we could lean into here," Wan said.
The Real-World Horror of a Hacked Mind
Creator and showrunner Thomas Brandon emphasized the show's innovative blend. "We're starting a new subgenre. It's combining two different genres... It's asking you to follow some thought-provoking thematic questions," he explained. The series uses The Cranberries' song Zombie to pose a chilling question relevant today: "What's in your head?"
Brandon links the concept of brain hacking to contemporary anxieties about algorithms, surveillance, and Artificial Intelligence. "The oldest, most original hack is a thought. It's a question being put by your brain you can't get rid of," he noted. This idea merges seamlessly with espionage tropes of trust and allegiance. Fellow showrunner Jennifer Yale added, "What's fun is the idea of 'Can he trust himself'?... That's really fun to really turn it on its head."
Despite moving away from ghosts, Wan insists the show is no less terrifying. He points to the "real-world horrors that we're experiencing in real time right now as we speak" as its source of fear.
A Glimpse into the Creator's Mind
When playfully asked what one might find if his own brain were hacked like his protagonist's, Wan responded with characteristic humility. "No, not by a long shot. If anything, it'd be the opposite. Not much happens in here. I hate to disappoint you," he laughed, deflecting the question with humour.
The Copenhagen Test represents a significant evolution for James Wan, proving his storytelling prowess extends beyond the haunted house into the equally perilous landscape of the human mind and modern technology.
