I am not in the least bit surprised by today’s news that Universal has decided to contract M. Night Shyamalan for two new untitled thrillers that will be released in 2021 and 2023, respectively. There’s no word on what the plot of the films might be. However, I am hopeful that this second chance comeback from the writer-director will yield some fruitful results and return him to the glory days of his first two films … or things could get out-of-hand again and Shyamalan’s cinematic ego could result in Lady in the Water 2.0.
“There are wonderful studios out there, but Universal has made it a mandate to release original films,” Shyamalan stated today about the new deal. “They are the best at finding an audience for new stories with unexpected tones. I believe original films are crucial to the longevity of the theatrical experience. I am so excited to be working with them again and bringing new stories to the movie screen for years to come.”
“M. Night Shyamalan continues to create exciting, highly original stories that keep global audiences on the edge of their seats,” said Peter Cramer, President, Universal Pictures. “There is no one like him: he is a master filmmaker working at the height of his powers, and we are honored that he has once again chosen Universal to be the home for his next two incredible projects.”
You can hate on the guy all you want, but, at some point, M. Night Shyamalan was known as the director that gave us "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable." As far as I'm concerned, those two films justify his existence in the cinematic spectrum. "The Village" and "Signs" weren't half-bad either. Of course, following those two films, we received the sorely misbegotten "Lady in the Water," "The Happening," "After Earth," and "The Last Airbender" four unwatchable projects that signaled, maybe, the end of his projected tenure as the heir of Hitchcock/Spielberg .
These films greatly affected the latter part of his moviemaking career and enhanced his potential as a has-been filmmaker. Why would a studio trust him with a big project ever again? However, all of this seemed to have sparked a fresh new creative freedom in the director that none of us saw coming. He made his most "watchable" film in quite some time with 2015's low-budget creepfest "The Visit," a film that could scare you and, at the same time, have you chuckling to no ends, it was a successful venture into original genre filmmaking. The real comeback, however, came three yeas ago with "Split" which had James McAvoy playing a man with dissociative identity disorder, he had 23 personalities with his body chemistry making him switch, at any moment, to another identity. In "Split" this deranged man ended up kidnapping three women (Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula, Haley Lu Richardson) and taking them hostage at his labyrinthine home. Its sequel “Glass,” although it garnered mixed reviews, was a box-office hit and announced a new phase for the 47-year-old old director.
The movie, due to release in 2027, is described as “a haunting Western thriller that follows a retired U.S. Marshal whose forty-year search for his wife’s killer leads him to an outlaw losing his memory.