M. Night Shyamalan Reveals Why He Won’t Do More Sequels (Exclusive)

Since bursting onto the scene with the critically-acclaimed The Sixth Sense right before the turn of the century, M. Night Shyamalan has cemented himself as one of the most unique working directors in Hollywood. Future Shyamalan flicks like Signs and The Happening further emphasized the filmmaker’s signature style, one which heavily relies on suspense and typically includes a third act twist. Aside from one dance with an already-established franchise in 2010’s The Last Airbender, Shayamalan has spent his entire career creating original stories for the thriller genre.

That changed at the end of 2016’s Split, the James McAvoy-led psychological suspense fest. Right before the credits rolled, Bruce Willis makes a cameo as David Dunn, the lead character from Shyamalan’s Unbreakable. That small tie-in marked the first time that Shyamalan had made a follow-up to one of his previous pictures. Shyamalan fully embraced the sequel with 2019’s Glass, a crossover that brought the worlds of Unbreakable and Split together.

Speaking to ComicBook.com’s Liam Crowley at the Knock at the Cabin world premiere, Shyamalan noted his sequel days are in the rear view, both within the Unbreakable franchise and with any of his other standalone projects.

“I probably wouldn’t [do another sequel],” Shyamalan said. “Originally, Unbreakable was supposed to be a trilogy, so that’s the way I thought of it, as a long story. Beyond that, not really.”

Shyamalan added that this is because he finds the most value in telling new stories rather than revisiting old ones.

“I enjoy originals too much. I have so many ideas I want to tell,” Shyamalan continued. “It’s just sad to go back. I’d rather challenge and start from scratch with you every single time and say, ‘Here’s a new idea with a new flavor.’”

The latest release from Shyamalan’s catalog is based on Paul G. Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World, with Shyamalan himself writing the screenplay. ComicBook.com’s Patrick Cavanaugh praised the film, calling it full of “big swings” that is “easy to buy into.”

Knock at the Cabin is now in theaters.