Entertainment
M. Night Shyamalan Officially Confirms the Fate of His Superhero Franchise [Exclusive]
While M. Night Shyamalan has been a polarizing director throughout his time in Hollywood, it can’t be denied that he’s always had unique ideas. The two-time Oscar nominee broke out in a big way in 1999 with the release of his psychological thriller The Sixth Sense, featuring one of film’s all-time great twists that flips its most iconic line on its head. Just one year later, he’d return with Unbreakable, his take on a superhero film in a time before the MCU, The Dark Knight, and the revitalization of comic book movies. Reuniting with Bruce Willis and featuring Samuel L. Jackson, he delivered what was, at the time, a more nuanced look than most at the nature of superpowers and what it means to have them in a complicated world centered on a man learning the bounds of his abilities. Split and Glass helped expand the world and themes into a complete trilogy with a climactic showdown between the Overseer, the Horde (James McAvoy), and Elijah Price.
Yet, there have been questions about the potential for more stories within the wider Unbreakable universe. The demand for mature superhero media has grown over the years, with The Boys and Invincible earning high marks for how they confront the harsh realities of superpowered beings, and the video game Dispatch taking a more grounded approach to the relationships between villains reforming as heroes in a society they’re naturally a part of. Shyamalan has previously kept the door open for the right story, but he’s kept busy with other projects since, from Old to Trap and Knock at the Cabin. Now, for several reasons, he’s unlikely to release another film in his comic-inspired series.
During a conversation with Collider’s Steve Weintraub to discuss his sweeping retrospective at this year’s Beyond Fest at American Cinematheque, he was asked if there was a chance of another entry in the universe, even if it involved new characters. He responded simply, “I don’t think so.”
He did admit that he had some ideas for similarly superpowered characters that could theoretically go through similar thematic journeys to that of Willis’ Overseer as they wrestled with their abilities, but he’s not necessarily thinking about them in the context of Unbreakable. It’s also not a world he believes he can revisit without the retired Willis involved.
“Partly because Bruce [Willis] is so central to that. But I have characters in my head that pop into my head, and one in particular that could easily coexist in that universe. It just pops into my head, ‘Oh, wow. That’s a really cool character that has a power.’ And so this one that I have in my head that popped in could easily be in that world, but I don’t want to jam it in and force it into something. It’s more I just like thinking of contemporary supernatural characters that could easily be in a comic book.”
M. Night Shyamalan’s Next Project Is a Collaboration With Nicholas Sparks
Shyamalan has been relatively quiet since Trap debuted in 2024, but his absence from the big screen won’t last much longer. On February 5, 2027, he’ll release his next film, Remain, a romantic supernatural thriller that emerged from an idea he developed with romance novelist extraordinaire Nicholas Sparks. The two will bring their own touches to the story in their respective mediums, making both the film and book a unique take on the same core story that plays to their respective strengths. Jake Gyllenhaal will lead the cast as Tate Gordon, an architect designing a summer home for his friend in Cape Cod, still haunted by the death of his sister. He experiences a jolt of life, however, upon meeting a curious young woman named Wren (Phoebe Dynevor). Shyamalan will also have a role to play in front of the camera, joining Julie Hagerty, Tracy Ifeachor, Jay O. Sanders, and Ashley Walters among the supporting group.
Stay tuned here at Collider for more from our conversation with Shyamalan.
- Release Date
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November 22, 2000
- Runtime
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106 minutes
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