‘Glass’ Trailer: M. Night Shyamalan Finishes What He Started With ‘Unbreakable’ And ‘Split’

It’s hardly surprising that Samuel L. Jackson is the highest grossing actor of all time; having appeared in a number of hugely successful franchises, from the “Star Wars” prequels and “The Incredibles” to “Jurassic Park” and most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. All told, it’s pretty easy to see how the films Jackson appeared in have grossed more than five and a half billion dollars. But, as he noted at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, Jackson has yet to play a character whose name is in the title of the movie – that is, until M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass,” the surprise sequel to “Unbreakable.”

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“Unbreakable” was hardly the first subversion of classic superhero tropes, but it did so in such a clever and unique way that the film has become a major cult classic since its release in 2000. Since then, Shyamalan fell into a bit of a rut critically and commercially (and with “Lady in the Water,” “The Last Airbender,” and “After Earth,” that’s putting it mildly), but after the microbudget found footage horror “The Visit” was a surprise hit with critics and audiences, Shyamalan found himself with enough goodwill to make “Split,” which made its money back thirty times over.

As fans who stuck around after the credits discovered, Shyamalan utilized “Split” as a backdoor sequel to “Unbreakable,” and now, he returns with a film that unites the main characters of the prior two films: David Dunn, played by in-need-of-another-comeback Bruce Willis, Wendell Crumb, played by James McAvoy, and the titular Elijah Glass, played by Jackson. Joining them is Sarah Paulson, playing a therapist who specializes in patients who believe they have superpowers, and Anya Taylor-Joy, who finishes off a red-hot year by reprising her “Split” role as Casey Cooke.

“Glass” arrives in theaters on January 18, 2019. You can watch the new trailer below: