Divisive director with a love for twists,M. Night Shyamalan, has now signed a major deal with Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio and the two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker have now joined forces in a “multi-year first-look directing and producing agreement,” according toDeadline.
The director’s first project following the deal,Trap, is set for release on August 13, 2025. Of course, as is so often the case with Shyamalan projects, we know pretty much nothing about it. Other projects in the pipeline from Shyamalan’s Blinding Edge Pictures productionalso includesThe Watchersfrom his daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan,which now has a release date of June 25, 2025.
“Night is one of the most iconic and influential directors of his generation and an auteur in every sense of the word,” Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy said in a joint statement. “From The Sixth Sense through Split to his latest chiller Knock at the Cabin, he’s one of the few directors in contemporary cinema whose name alone promises a bold, singular vision, compelling original storytelling and a provocative, surprising and entirely unique experience at the theater. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome him to the Warner Bros. family, and look forward to an exciting collaboration with Night and the entire Blinding Edge team.”
“Where I write and direct is my home,” Shyamalan said of the deal. “Disney and Universal, where I’ve made most of my films, will always be home and family to me. Warner Bros. has a storied history of cinema. Through its recent experiences, the company has rediscovered its love and appreciation for filmmakers, and the impact of the theatrical experience. We all win when movies succeed in theaters. I believe David Zaslav, Michael De Luca, and Pam Abdy have dedicated themselves to unique filmmakers, and to filling theaters all around the world for years to come.”
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Knock at the Cabin is M. Night Shyamalan’s Best Reviewed Movie in Years
Shyamalan’s latest,Knock at the Cabin, landed in theaters earlier this month.While it has been typically divisive, the thriller is one of Shyamalan’s best reviewed movies in years.Now sitting at a fresh 68% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoesthe consensus reads, “Although it’s often less than scary and parts of the story don’t bear scrutiny,Knock at the Cabinis a thought-provoking chiller and upper-tier Shyamalan.” And audiences are largely in agreement, with Knock at the Cabin at a still fresh 64%.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and based on the 2018 novelThe Cabin at the End of the Worldby Paul G. Tremblay,Knock at the Cabincenters on a young girl and her parents who, while vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods, are taken hostage by four armed strangerswho demand they make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. Confused, scared, and with limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost.
Leading these “armed strangers” isGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3star Dave Bautista, with the rest ofKnock at the Cabincast comprised of Tony award and Emmy nominee Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Mindhunter), Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth, Fleabag), BAFTA nominee Nikki Amuka-Bird (Persuasion, Old), newcomer Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn (Little Women, Landline) and Rupert Grint (Servant, theHarry Potterfranchise).
With a major new deal now signed, could this be the beginning of a career resurgence for M. Night Shyamalan?
