Old: M. Night Shyamalan Addresses Possibility of a Sequel

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan introduced audiences to a mysterious and disturbing world with his latest film Old, and while he has previously revisited worlds he’s created with earlier films, he recently confirmed that he doesn’t have plans to explore a sequel to the horror movie. He did admit, however, that he has an interesting idea on how he could theoretically continue the journey, but also noted that he has other unique ideas he’d be more interested in exploring when it comes to new projects. Old is currently in theaters and his TV series Servant is currently filming its third season.

“You know me, I’m the opposite of franchise. The excitement is to do something original,” Shyamalan confirmed with GamesRadar+. “However, I did think of another idea. I said to the guy at my work, ‘I just thought of another thing’ [but] we’re never going to do that. Let’s just move on to the other movies.”

With each film that Shyamalan delivered audiences he created a compelling and complex world, with some of those films ending in twists that would set up countless possibilities. Despite the potential of these worlds, he only returned for a follow-up with his films Split and Glass, with the former revealing itself to be a continuation of 2000’s Unbreakable, much to the surprise of audiences who had assumed it was an entirely standalone experience.

“Part of it is, ironically, not wanting to stay the same person that I was two years ago. I don’t need to keep celebrating that for commercial ends,” the filmmaker pointed out. “Even when I went back to make Split and Glass, I definitely did not want to go back to my 29-year-old self and try to recreate that point of view. It’s disconcerting – I’m pretending to be something that I’m not. By the time it takes to finish a movie – it takes almost two years – I’m a completely different person. I’m ready to tell a different type of story.”

Due to this surprising reveal, fans have wondered if all of his films theoretically take place in the same universe, but this is a theory Shyamalan has shut down.

“I don’t think of it that way,” Shyamalan confirmed to ComicBook.com when asked about his films’ interconnected nature. “Although, sometimes I get a kick out of trying to think of referencing something else that happened from another movie, but that would be disingenuous because, honestly, I think of them more in that Twilight Zone thought process of each one is its own discernible thing. They’re not related. In this world, this is what happens, and in this world, people realize they’re comic book characters, and we just move on to the next one.”

Old is in theaters now.

Would you like Old to get a sequel? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!