Indian-American filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan began his career in 1992 with the student film Praying with Anger, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. He then wrote the screenplays for the comedy movies Wide Awake (1998; also directed) and Stuart Little (1999). In 1999, he rose to prominence for writing and directing the supernatural movie The Sixth Sense, for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.[1] He then wrote, directed, and produced the superhero movie Unbreakable, the first entry in the Eastrail 177 Trilogy followed by Split in 2016 and Glass in 2019.[2]
After Unbreakable, Shyamalan made Signs (2002) and The Village (2004), which increased his popularity with moviegoers and further established him as a filmmaker known for his twist endings.[3][4] The next decade, however, saw a series of critical misfires with Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), and After Earth (2013).[5] In 2015, he partnered with Universal Pictures for The Visit, a commercial success that made $98.5 million on a $5 million budget.[6] Universal then released his films Split, Glass, Old (2021), and Knock at the Cabin (2023).[7] Shyamalan worked with Warner Bros. Pictures for his latest film, Trap (2024).[8][9]
Films
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Praying with Anger | Yes | Yes | Yes | Student film | [10] |
| 1998 | Wide Awake | Yes | Yes | No | [11] | |
| 1999 | She's All That | No | Uncredited rewrites[note 1] | No | Co-screenwriter with R. Lee Fleming Jr. | [12] |
| The Sixth Sense | Yes | Yes | No | [13] | ||
| Stuart Little | No | Yes | No | Co-screenwriter with Greg Brooker. Based on the novel of the same name by E. B. White. | [14] | |
| 2000 | Unbreakable | Yes | Yes | Yes | [15] | |
| 2002 | Signs | Yes | Yes | Yes | [16] | |
| 2004 | The Village | Yes | Yes | Yes | Uncredited executive soundtrack producer | [17] |
| 2006 | Lady in the Water | Yes | Yes | Yes | [18] | |
| 2008 | The Happening | Yes | Yes | Yes | [19] | |
| 2010 | The Last Airbender | Yes | Yes | Yes | Based on the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko | [20] |
| Devil | No | Story | Yes | Screenplay written by Brian Nelson | [21] | |
| 2013 | After Earth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-screenwriter with Gary Whitta. Based on a story by Will Smith. | [22] |
| 2015 | The Visit | Yes | Yes | Yes | [23] | |
| 2016 | Split | Yes | Yes | Yes | [24] | |
| 2019 | Glass | Yes | Yes | Yes | [25] | |
| 2021 | Old | Yes | Yes | Yes | Based on the graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Lévy and Frederik Peeters | [26] |
| 2023 | Knock at the Cabin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-screenwriter with Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman. Based on the novel The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay. | [27] |
| 2024 | The Watchers | No | No | Yes | Based on the novel of the same name by A. M. Shine | [28] |
| Trap | Yes | Yes | Yes | [29] | ||
| Caddo Lake | No | No | Yes | [30] |
Notes
edit- ^ R. Lee Fleming, Jr. received sole writing credit for the film. In 2002, Shyamalan said he polished the screenplay while adapting Stuart Little and writing The Sixth Sense. Director Robert Iscove confirmed this claim in the film's audio commentary.
Television
edit| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer |
Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Wayward Pines | Yes | Yes | Based on the Wayward Pines novels by Blake Crouch. Episode: "Where Paradise Is Home" | [31] |
| 2019–23 | Servant | Yes | Yes | Episodes: "Reborn", "Jericho", "2:00", "Donkey", "Awake" | [32] |
Acting credits
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Praying with Anger | Dev Raman | [10] | |
| 1999 | The Sixth Sense | Dr. Hill | [33] | |
| 2000 | Unbreakable | Jai | Credited as "stadium drug dealer" | [33] |
| 2002 | Signs | Ray Reddy | [33] | |
| 2004 | The Village | Jay | Credited as "guard at desk" | [33] |
| 2006 | Lady in the Water | Vick Ran | [33] | |
| 2007 | Entourage (Season 4) | Himself | Episode 4: "Sorry, Harvey" | [34] |
| 2008 | The Happening | Joey | Played a voice on a phone call made by a character | [33] |
| 2010 | The Last Airbender | Firebender | Uncredited | [35] |
| 2016 | Split | Jai | [33] | |
| 2019 | Glass | Jai | [33] | |
| 2019, 2020 | This Is Us (Season 4) | Himself | Episode 2: "The Pool: Part Two" Episode 12: "A Hell of a Week: Part Two" |
[36][37] |
| 2019 | Servant (Season 1) | Delivery man | Episode 1: "Reborn" | [38] |
| 2021 | Old | Hotel van driver | [39] | |
| 2023 | Knock at the Cabin | Infomercial co-host | [40] | |
| 2024 | Trap | Lady Raven's uncle | [41] |
Critical and public response
edit| Year | Film | Rotten Tomatoes[42] | Metacritic[43] | CinemaScore[44] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Praying with Anger | — | — | — |
| 1998 | Wide Awake | 45% (33 reviews) | — | — |
| 1999 | The Sixth Sense | 86% (158 reviews) | 64 (35 reviews) | A– |
| 2000 | Unbreakable | 70% (173 reviews) | 62 (31 reviews) | C |
| 2002 | Signs | 74% (236 reviews) | 59 (36 reviews) | B |
| 2004 | The Village | 43% (218 reviews) | 44 (40 reviews) | C |
| 2006 | Lady in the Water | 25% (212 reviews) | 36 (36 reviews) | B– |
| 2008 | The Happening | 17% (185 reviews) | 34 (38 reviews) | D |
| 2010 | The Last Airbender | 5% (192 reviews) | 20 (33 reviews) | C |
| 2013 | After Earth | 12% (213 reviews) | 33 (41 reviews) | B |
| 2015 | The Visit | 68% (229 reviews) | 55 (34 reviews) | B– |
| 2016 | Split | 77% (307 reviews) | 62 (47 reviews) | B+ |
| 2019 | Glass | 36% (396 reviews) | 43 (53 reviews) | B |
| 2021 | Old | 50% (313 reviews) | 55 (52 reviews) | C+ |
| 2023 | Knock at the Cabin | 68% (235 reviews) | 63 (54 reviews) | C |
| 2024 | Trap | 57% (232 reviews) | 52 (46 reviews) | C+ |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The 72nd Academy Awards | 2000". Academy Awards. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Mathai, Jeremy (January 20, 2021). "Reassessing M. Night Shyamalan's Glass After a Year With No MCU". IGN. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Greiving, Tim (July 30, 2020). "M. Night Shyamalan Talks Signs, Twists, and Crop-Circle Tattoos". The Ringer. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Morris, Wesley (August 24, 2020). "Plot Twist! Why 2004 Was a Surprising Year for Movies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Barnes, Brooks (August 18, 2015). "With The Visit, M. Night Shyamalan Returns to His Filmmaking Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ "The Visit". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (September 16, 2019). "M. Night Shyamalan Sets His Next Two Movies at Universal for Release in 2021, 2023". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 7, 2022). "New M. Night Shyamalan Thriller Dated By Universal For 2024". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 16, 2023). "M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros, Sets Trap At Studio". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ a b "AFI Catalog - Praying with Anger (1993)". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (March 27, 1998). "Wide Awake". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Russell, Mike (August 2002). "Night's Skies | In Focus, Volume II, Number 8". National Association of Theatre Owners. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Nichols, Mackenzie (August 2, 2019). "The Sixth Sense Turns 20: M. Night Shyamalan and Haley Joel Osment Tell All". Variety. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Floorwalker, Mike (June 14, 2021). "The Untold Truth Of M. Night Shyamalan". Looper.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Bramesco, Charles (November 23, 2020). "Unbreakable at 20: the film that finally took superheroes seriously". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Budowski, Jade (July 29, 2017). "Signs At 15: The Scariest Alien Movie Ever?". Decider. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (July 30, 2019). "In Defense of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village". Collider. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Freer, Ian. "Lady In The Water Review". Empire. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (June 9, 2008). "The Happening: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ "M Night Shyamalan's Last Airbender wins Razzie Awards". BBC Online. February 27, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Miska, Brad (October 28, 2008). "Dowdle Brothers Team For Shyamalan's Devil". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ Busis, Hillary (June 2, 2013). "After Earth: The funniest, meanest reviews". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 9, 2015). "The Visit: Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Hidayat, Firhat (March 5, 2017). "Split (2016) — Not just an Ordinary Thriller Movie". Medium. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Edelstein, David (January 14, 2019). "M. Night Shyamalan's Glass Congeals on the Screen". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela; Couch, Aaron (June 23, 2020). "Universal Sets M. Night Shyamalan's Next Movie for July 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Dick, Jeremy (June 11, 2022). "M. Night Shyamalan Wraps Filming on Next Movie Knock at the Cabin". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ Rajput, Priyanca (September 5, 2023). "Ishana Shyamalan's debut feature The Watchers wraps in Dublin". KFTV.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 16, 2023). "M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros, Sets Trap At Studio". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (October 4, 2021). "M. Night Shyamalan's Blinding Edge Pictures To Produce Vanishings At Caddo Lake From Directing Duo Celine Held And Logan George". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ Dowling, Amber (April 30, 2015). "Wayward Pines: 'Where Paradise is Home' Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Weintraub, Steve (January 16, 2021). "M. Night Shyamalan on Servant, His 40-Episode Plan, and Future Movies". Collider. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Roschke, Ryan (January 21, 2019). "9 M. Night Shyamalan Movie Cameos That Made Us Groan Into Our Popcorn". PopSugar. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Haque, Ahsan (July 9, 2007). "Entourage: 'Sorry, Harvey' Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (August 6, 2019). "The Cast of The Sixth Sense, Then and Now". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Fremont, Maggie (October 1, 2019). "This Is Us Recap: Pearson Family Fun Day". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Siede, Caroline (January 28, 2020). "This Is Us asks us to put our faith in M. Night Shyamalan". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Beasley, Tom (December 13, 2019). "M. Night Shyamalan on the burden of twist expectations and his Servant cameo (exclusive)". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Desta, Yohana (July 23, 2021). "How M. Night Shyamalan's Old Updates the Graphic Novel Sandcastle". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ Abdulbaki, Mae (February 6, 2023). "Where To Spot M. Night Shyamalan's Cameo In Knock At The Cabin". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
- ^ Papadopoulos, Charles (August 3, 2024). "M. Night Shyamalan's Cameo In Trap Explained". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ "M. Night Shyamalan". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ "M. Night Shyamalan". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Retrieved February 12, 2021. Each film's score can be accessed from the website's search bar.
External links
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