M. Night Shyamalan Says No More ‘Unbreakable’ Films & Talks Almost Losing It All With ‘The Visit’

There are only a few filmmakers working today that can’t separate their name from the project. People like Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino are guys that people will support because each of their projects is wholly their films. M. Night Shyamalan is one of those guys, for better or worse. No matter if you love his work, or hate it, you can’t deny each of his films is an “M. Night film.” And in a matter of days, the world is going to experience the latest M. Night film, “Glass.” But in a new interview with Vulture, the filmmaker goes over the long process to get to “Glass” and why fans shouldn’t expect anything more from the “Unbreakable” universe.

READ MORE: 10 Movies To See In January: ‘Glass’ ‘Serenity’ & More

Even though he’s back on top again, there was a long time where the world wasn’t excited for any new M. Night films. With major financial flops like “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “After Earth,” combined with the creative failures of films like “Lady in the Water” and “The Happening,” the filmmaker was at an all-time low.

“I had stopped doing the things that allowed me to feel at peace. I was the one who allowed that to happen. I did not make the right decisions. And you’re complicit in all that when you take that much money to make a movie,” said Shyamalan.

These failures forced the filmmaker to take a drastic step for his next film, “The Visit.” He took a loan against his house and financed the $5 million thriller. Shyamalan thought if he made the film on his own, with complete creative control, then studios would swoop in and buy it off his hands. So, the director started showing a rough cut of the film.

“That version of the movie was only six weeks out from shooting,” said the filmmaker. “It was really insane for me to show it. But I thought, ‘I’m going to sell the film six weeks out so that I know I’m not going to lose money, and my career isn’t over, and I don’t have to sell my house.’ Because, obviously, who wouldn’t want a thriller done by me, right? Well, everyone. Everyone didn’t want a thriller done by me, apparently.”

READ MORE: M. Night Shyamalan Talks Original 3 Hour ‘Glass’ Cut & Pitching The Film To Universal And Disney

Of course, Jason Blum, of Blumhouse Productions, would eventually distribute the film, which would go on to become a major hit for all involved. That success helped get “Split” made, which would then become an even bigger success. Part of that success came from the fact that unbeknownst to fans, “Split” was a backdoor sequel to one of Shyamalan’s bigger fan-favorites, “Unbreakable.”

The filmmaker contends that “Split” was always going to be a sequel to the film. In fact, the character of the Horde from “Split” was in the early versions of “Unbreakable.” “That was always the idea. Originally ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Split’ were together. David and the Horde bump into each other at the train station, and David follows him,” said Shyamalan.

Now, the world awaits “Glass,” the trilogy-ending feature that puts a bow on the “Unbreakable” universe. But are we fully done with those characters after “Glass?” Shyamalan admits that the universe could keep going, but it just won’t keep going.

“Yeah, but that’s not interesting to me. There’s no danger in that. Or not enough danger, let’s say that,” he said about the potential fourth film. “I have the sequel rights to most of my movies, essentially for the reason to not do them.”

Now, with “Glass” poised to be the third hit for M. Night Shyamalan in a row, it would appear that the options are wide open for the filmmaker. And whatever he does next, it would seem that the world of “Unbreakable” is getting its final chapter in a week.