M. Night Shyamalan Snags Major Deal With Warner Bros. Pictures

By Nathaniel Brail

M. Night Shyamalan has officially signed a multi-year first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures as the studio has been hard at work signing on creative talent. The deal is both a directorial and producing agreement that will have the two-time Oscar-nominated director's upcoming projects be released by the studio. Previously, Warner Bros. Pictures signed Baz Luhrmann and Akiva Goldsman to a similar deal, so Shyamalan is in good company. Shyamalan's Blinding Eagle production unit has two big projects in development at this time, including Trap, which the director hopes to be shooting next, and The Watchers, which will serve as his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan's directorial debut.

"Night is one of the most iconic and influential directors of his generation and an auteur in every sense of the word," De Luca and Abdy said in a joint statement on the deal. "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 revealed. "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."

The most recent film that Shyamalan release was Knock at the Cabin. One of the films stars, Ben Aldrige, was not very humble or analytical as the director when he recently explained his experience reading the script: he didn't need a "twist," given what Shyamalan had planned for the movie:

"It was shocking... He called me and said, 'I want you to be in the film. Now, you can read the script.' And up until that point, I didn't know what it was about. I didn't know the size of the part, how much Andrew was in it. And it was, honestly, it was shocking because of how violent it is, how visceral, the stakes, the premise of it all. I was like, 'We're gonna... Sorry, we're gonna do what? Oh, okay. Now they're gonna put white bags on their heads and now we're gonna have to make this choice.' And just thinking, it scared me, intimidated me."

M. Night Shyamalan didn't just keep the actors in the dark with the script of Knock at the Cabin: he made them feel the mystery and tension unfold, even as they were filming the movie: 

"Night kind of held everything back from us and I dunno if that was by design or whatever, but it really just kind of unfolded before us," Aldrige continued. "And because we shot it mostly in chronological order, he was able to do that. We were kind of able to experience it as the characters did."

Knock at the Cabin is in theaters now.

What do you think about the deal? Are you excited for more M. Night Shyamalan Movies? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!

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