Boy, the career of M. Night Shyamalan has had more twists and turns than an M. Night Shyamalan movie. He went from director of a virtually unseen indie debut, to an Oscar-nominated overnight success with “The Sixth Sense,” to a golden boy unable to do wrong with “Unbreakable” and “Signs,” to a critical piñata with “Lady In The Water” and “The Happening,” to blockbuster-flop helmer (and also still a critical piñata) with “After Earth” and “The Last Airbender,” to the director of well-executed, low-budget, career-reviving horror movies.
READ MORE: Suspense-Filled ‘Split’ Is A Return To Form For M. Night Shyamalan [Review]
And now, there’s a further twist, as Shyamalan announced on Twitter this morning that, as he’s been hinting, his next movie will be a sequel to both a movie now 17 years old AND to his most recent hit. *** SPOILER *** The ending to “Split” revealed that the movie existed in the same universe as “Unbreakable,” with an appearance from Bruce Willis’s indestructible superhero David Dunn, seeming to set up a confrontation with James McAvoy’s superpowered dissociative-identity-disorder-sufferer Kevin Crumb, aka The Horde.
And the new movie, titled “Glass,” looks to follow through on this confrontation, with Willis, McAvoy, and Samuel L. Jackson (as villain Mr. Glass) all confirmed to return, along with “Split” star Anya Taylor-Joy. Universal and Blumhouse, who released “Split,” will be producing. It’s a bold move by Shyamalan, the sort of self-indulgent thing that got him in trouble earlier in his career, but also potentially a brilliant one. If he can keep up his current form, we’re legitimately excited to see Willis and McAvoy square off on screen (and hopefully, in a fourth movie, to team up to take on the villain of “The Happening,” the wind). The movie will open January 18th, 2019.
My new film is the sequel to #Unbreakable AND #Split. It was always my dream to have both films collide in this third film.
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) April 26, 2017
The iconic Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) April 26, 2017
The incomparable @SamuelLJackson will return as Elijah Price/Mr. Glass
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) April 26, 2017
The virtuoso #JamesMcAvoy returns as Kevin Wendell Crumb, Patricia, Dennis, Hedwig, Barry, Jade, Orwell, The Beast, Heinrich, Norma, Pol-
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) April 26, 2017
And the prodigy, @AnyaTaylorJoy will return as Casey Cooke
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) April 26, 2017
I’m reteaming with my partners @jason_blum and @Universalpics for this crazy comic book thriller.
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) April 26, 2017
And the film is called GLASS…
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) April 26, 2017
Universal Pictures will release #Glass on January 18, 2019 all over the world. How’s that for not keeping a secret!
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) April 26, 2017
