Serving as the culmination of the “Eastrail 177 Trilogy,” established with Unbreakable and Split, Glass brings together characters from both films for a final showdown. While the major characters like David Dunn (Bruce Willis), Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), and Kevin Crumb (James McAvoy) are all returning, some fans can’t help but wonder why Robin Wright‘s Audrey Dunn hasn’t been teased in any promotional materials. With Glass now hitting theaters, we have our answer.
WARNING: Spoilers below for Glass
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Set almost two decades after the events of Unbreakable, audiences learn early on in Glass that Audrey had died five years prior due to a form of leukemia. Wright might not have returned to the series to film any new sequences, but we do see her in photos, while one shot shows her character from behind as David imagines seeing her in their kitchen.
It’s unclear whether or not Wright was ever approached about the project and wasn’t interested or if writer/director M. Night Shyamalan never found a way to work her into the narrative, but with the film attempting to balance multiple major characters, the narrative likely wouldn’t have improved with her addition.
Fans will surely be disappointed that Wright doesn’t appear, as her relationship with David and their marital troubles brought in compelling tension to the narrative. Audrey also works with Elijah to help rehabilitate him after dangerous fall, with this new film potentially leaving the possibility open that her medical career could have somehow tied into the mental institution where a majority of the film takes place.
The actress had a busy 2018, as she became the central character in the final season of Netflix’s House of Cards and was also confirmed to appear in Wonder Woman 1984. It’s possible that Shyamalan considered having the actress actually appear in David’s delusion, with Wright’s schedule preventing her from appearing.
While Wright might not have returned from Unbreakable, Spencer Treat Clark returned as Joseph Dunn as well as Charlayne Woodard returning as Elijah Price’s mother. Additionally, Shyamalan has a brief cameo in Glass, reprising his cameo from Unbreakable, which we find out is also the same character as the one he played in Split.
In the new film, “From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast. Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.”
Glass hits theaters Friday.