Trap: M. Night Shyamalan on Competing in Crowded Summer Movie Season, “Original Movies Are Rare Birds”

TRAP director M. Night Shyamalan addressed the situation that original movies are facing at the box office this year. ComicBook talked to the filmmaker about his new thriller and the theater landscape. It’s no secret that TRAP is opening against the second weekend of Deadpool & Wolverine. And then next week, Borderlands heads to the movies as well. Even for a creator like M. Night Shyamalan, how do you keep perspective when the odds can be a bit daunting on first blush. Despite being a strong supporter of original movies, the director believes there’s a place for everyone at the table. The work just becomes a little bit harder when you don’t have the luxury of a sequel or an established universe to lean on.

“I mean, it’s always what, when, how do you release a movie. We’re original movies,” Shyamalan argues. “So these are ‘Rare Birds.’ And so, how do I get your attention when it’s so much easier to say number two, number three and say, say a title that you’ve heard before? Everyone’s vying for your attention in 2024. It’s so much easier for you.” 

“Like if I wanna get, let’s say, a nurse who works so hard and wants to go to a movie. And, she sees my trailer and she goes, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ It’s harder for her to hold on to it and remember it three weeks later and that’s the plight of the original movie. It’s so much harder,” the director continued. “Even if her intention was there, she’s forgotten and it’s harder to stick. Whereas if she hears Deadpool 3 or something, she goes, ‘Oh, yeah!’ Yeah, it’s easier… So that’s the struggle and it’s the challenge for us, the original movies. And so you pray that the circumstances work out for us. But, I do think it’s just my thing to make original movies and I hope there’s always a place for us.”

TRAP Is A Unique Entry This Summer

Choosing Josh Hartnett to be the star of TRAP was very intentional for Shyamalan. During a press event for TRAP, the director explained how he reached out to the millennial favorite. Once they had a conversation, the choice was absolutely clear for Shyamalan. He called it “the right actor coming along at the right time in their life.”

“That’s where Josh was when when I met him. He was living outside London. At that time, raising three girls.and you could he had curated his life in a way that’s rich and has a lot to say,” Shyamalan revealed. “When I  talked to him, I realized he was very smart, very analytical. It was the right person at the right time. I saw him in Black Mirror. Terrific episode. So, Chris [Christopher Nolan] cast him in Oppenheimer. So, a lot of great choices. I’ve learned a lot. So, it’s so beautiful when you happen upon an artist with a lot to say.”

Will you be heading out to see TRAP this weekend? Let us know in the comments down below!