Shyamalan was also one of the executive producers and occasional director of the20th Television science fiction seriesWayward Pines (2015–2016) and theApple TV+ psychological horror seriesServant (2019–2023), for which he also served asshowrunner.[8][9]
Shyamalan had an early desire to be a filmmaker when he was given aSuper 8 camera at a young age. Though his father wanted him to follow in the family practice of medicine, his mother encouraged him to follow his passion. By the time he was seventeen, he had made forty-five home movies.[23] On each DVD release of his films, beginning withThe Sixth Sense and with the exception ofLady in the Water, he has included a scene from one of these childhood movies, which, he feels, represents his first attempt at the same kind of film.[23]
Shyamalan at a press conference forThe Happening in 2008.
Shyamalan made his first film, the semi-autobiographicaldramaPraying with Anger, while still a student at NYU, using money borrowed from family and friends.[24] He wrote and directed his second movie,Wide Awake. His parents were the film'sassociate producers. The drama dealt with a ten-year-old Catholic schoolboy (Joseph Cross) who, after the death of his grandfather (Robert Loggia), searches for God. The film's supporting cast includedDana Delany andDenis Leary as the boy's parents, as well asRosie O'Donnell,Julia Stiles, andCamryn Manheim.Wide Awake was filmed in a school Shyamalan attended as a child[25] and earned 1999Young Artist Award nominations for Best Drama, and, for Cross, Best Performance.[26] Only in limited release, the film grossed $305,704 in theaters, against a $6 million budget.[27]
That same year Shyamalan co-wrote the screenplay forStuart Little withGreg Brooker. In 2013, he revealed he was theghostwriter for the 1999 filmShe's All That, a teen comedy starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook.[28] On June 17, 2013, Jack Lechner (who served as Miramax's head of development in the late 1990s) confirmed that both Shyamalan and R. Lee Fleming, Jr. contributed to the script: Fleming wrote the initial script that Miramax bought while Shyamalan did an uncredited rewrite (doing more than "a polish") that got the film green-lit. Lechner reiterated that content from both writers was included in the final cut of the film.[29]
Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999'sThe Sixth Sense, starringBruce Willis, which became the second-highest grossing horror movie of all time.[30]The Sixth Sense was nominated for six Academy Awards, includingBest Picture,Best Director andBest Original Screenplay.[31]
In July 2000, onThe Howard Stern Show, Shyamalan said he had met with Spielberg and was in early talks to write the script for thefourthIndiana Jones film. This would have given Shyamalan a chance to work with his longtime idol.[32] After the film fell through, Shyamalan later said it was too "tricky" to arrange and "not the right thing" for him to do.[33]
Shyamalan followedThe Sixth Sense by writing and directingUnbreakable (2000), again starring Willis, a stealth superhero film within a thriller, which was both critically and financially successful.
Shyamalan's name was linked with the 2001 filmHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but it conflicted with the production ofUnbreakable. In July 2006, while doing press tours forLady in the Water, Shyamalan expressed he remained interested in directing one of the last twoHarry Potter films: "The themes that run through it ... the empowering of children, a positive outlook ... you name it, it falls in line with my beliefs", Shyamalan said. "I enjoy the humor in it. When I read the firstHarry Potter and was thinking about making it, I had a whole different vibe in my head of it".[34]
His next film,Signs, was released in 2002. The film starsMel Gibson as a formerEpiscopalian priest who regains his faith in God during an alien invasion. It was both critically and financially successful and grossed $408 million from a budget of $72 million.[35]
Shyamalan next directedThe Village (2004), about an isolated community living in the woods. Although it received mixed reviews,[36] it was financially successful as it grossed $257 million from a budget of $60 million.[37]
After the release ofThe Village in 2004, Shyamalan had been planning a film adaptation of Yann Martel's novelLife of Pi with 20th Century Fox, but later backed out so that he could makeLady in the Water. In an interview he said about his reasons for dropping out of that project:[38]
I love that book. I mean, it's basically [the story of] a kid born in the same city as me [Mahe, India] — it almost felt predestined. But I was hesitant because the book has kind of a twist ending. And I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience. Whereas if someone else did it, it would be much more satisfying, I think. Expectations, you've got to be aware of them. I'm wishing them all great luck. I hope they make a beautiful movie.
Released in 2006,Lady in the Water, a bedtime story about a water nymph and an apartment superintendent, was both critically and financially unsuccessful, only grossing $72 million worldwide from a budget of $70 million.
Next was the filmThe Happening, ascience fictionthriller about an inexplicable natural disaster causing mass suicides, featuring a teacher and his wife fleeing from contaminated cities into the countryside. It was critically unsuccessful but financially successful as it grossed $163 million from a budget of $48 million.[39][40]
In July 2008, it was announced that Shyamalan had partnered withMedia Rights Capital to form a production company called Night Chronicles. Shyamalan would produce, but not direct, one film a year for three years.[41] The first of the three films wasDevil, a supernatural thriller directed by siblingsJohn and Drew Dowdle. The script was written byBrian Nelson, based on an original idea from Shyamalan.[42] The movie was about a group of people stuck in an elevator with the devil, and starredChris Messina.[43] The film was not previewed by critics before its release.
In 2010, he directedThe Last Airbender, based onthe first season of theNickelodeon TV seriesAvatar: The Last Airbender. It was critically unsuccessful—with significant criticism aimed at its casting of white actors in Asian and Native American-inspired roles, yet was a financial success, grossing $319 million from a budget of $150 million. It is now widely considered to be one of theworst films of all time.[44]
In 2013, Shyamalan directed the filmAfter Earth, based on a script byGary Whitta and starringWill Smith and his son,Jaden. It was received poorly by critics, but was financially successful, making nearly $244 million against a budget of $130 million. Shyamalan later described his thinking in 2013 as full of doubts, introspection and questioning.[45]
Shyamalan announced in January 2014 that he would be working again withBruce Willis on a film titledLabor of Love.[46] As of March 2022, and the retirement of Willis, this film had yet to be produced.
Shyamalan's reputation was poor and most Hollywood studios passed on his self-funded, low-budget horror-comedyThe Visit, featuring a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong visit. After revising the film,[45] which Shyamalan had shot in secret, Universal picked up rights toThe Visit. The movie went on to gross $98 million worldwide on a budget of $5 million[47] – the fifth-highest grossing thriller film of the year.[48][49] Universal released the movie on September 11, 2015.[49]
In 2017, Shyamalan released the movieSplit. It was both critically and financially successful and grossed $279 million from a budget of $9 million.[50]
In 2019, he releasedGlass as the final installment in his 19-year trilogy inclusive of previous filmsUnbreakable andSplit. The movie grossed over $247 million worldwide.[51][50]
In October 2021, Shyamalan announced that his next filmKnock at the Cabin would be released in cinemas on February 3, 2023.[57]Knock at the Cabin premiered in New York City at theRose Hall on January 30, 2023.[58] The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $54 million worldwide.[59]
In February 2023, it was revealed Shyamalan's next film, titledTrap, would be released in theatres on August 2, 2024 distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures.[60] The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $85 million worldwide.[61]
Shyamalan is the executive producer on the Apple TV seriesServant. He directed several episodes, including the pilot.Servant was renewed for a second series in advance of the season one premiere.[62] The second season ofServant completed filming in fall 2020 under COVID protocols.[63]
Shyamalan was also instrumental in the creation of theFox science fiction seriesWayward Pines (2015–2016), for which he executive produced and directed the pilot episode. The series became the most-watched show of that summer.[64]
In 2016, TNT first announced that Shyamalan would be responsible for a reboot series forTales from the Crypt. As of June 2017[update] the series had been cancelled due to a number of legal reasons.[65]
He also appeared in an episode of the seriesEntourage.[66]
While working on his filmThe Happening, Shyamalan developed an interest in improving the delivery of education in American schools. He hired doctoral student James Richardson to do most of the background research and as a result publishedI Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America's Education Gap throughSimon and Schuster in 2013.[71] John Willol ofNPR reviewed the book by stating "I Got Schooled is a breezily written, research driven call to change America's approach to education. Shyamalan is smart and sincere, and his innovative ideas are unbound by the educational establishment."[72]
Shyamalan and his family live near Philadelphia at Ravenwood, a 125-acre (51 ha) estate, built around a 27,000-square-foot (2,500 m2) 1937Georgian Revival house.[77]
Rolling Stone wrote thatThe Sixth Sense gave Shyamalan the reputation of "the guy who makes the scary movies with a twist".[45] In 2008, Shyamalan said it was a common misperception that "all my movies have twist endings, or that they're all scary. All my movies are spiritual and all have an emotional perspective".[81] He nonetheless avoided plot twists for years, until again using them starting withThe Visit in 2015.Rolling Stone wrote in 2018,[45]
In his twenties, [Shyamalan] says, "I don't think you could have told me that making thrillers for your whole life wasn't a bad thing. At first it was a sense of, 'Hey, I can make anything.' But that’s hypocritical, because when I pick up anAgatha Christie novel in my library, I have a strong expectation. So, I get it ... When I became happy with the idea of making thrillers for the rest of my life, everything went right."
After the release ofThe Village,Slate's Michael Agger noted that Shyamalan was following "an uncomfortable pattern" of "making fragile, sealed-off movies that fell apart when exposed to outside logic".[82]
Shyamalan has also been nominated for, and in some cases won, numerousGolden Raspberry Awards forLady in the Water in 2006,The Happening in 2008,The Last Airbender in 2010, andAfter Earth in 2013.[83][84][85][86] In 2016 he was also nominated for theRazzie Redeemer Award.[87]
In 2004, Shyamalan was involved in a mediahoax withSyFy Channel, which was eventually uncovered by the press. SyFy claimed in its "documentary" specialThe Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan, shot on the set ofThe Village, that as a child, Shyamalan had been dead for nearly half an hour while drowned in a frozen pond in an accident, and that upon being rescued he had experiences of communicating with spirits, fueling an obsession with the supernatural.[98]
In truth, Shyamalan developed the hoax with SyFy, going so far as having SyFy staffers signnon-disclosure agreements with a $5 million fine attached and requiring Shyamalan's office to formally approve each step. Neither the childhood accident nor a supposed rift with the filmmakers ever occurred. The hoax included a nonexistent SyFy publicist, "David Westover", whose name appeared onpress releases regarding the special. SyFy also fed false news stories to theAssociated Press,[99]Zap2It,[100] and theNew York Post,[101] among others.
After an AP reporter confronted SyFy Channel presidentBonnie Hammer at a press conference, Hammer admitted the hoax, saying it was part of aguerrilla marketing campaign to generate pre-releasepublicity forThe Village. This prompted SyFy's parent company,NBC Universal, to state that the undertaking was "not consistent with our policy at NBC. We would never intend to offend the public or the press and we value our relationship with both."[102]
Robert McIlhinney, a Pennsylvanian screenwriter, sued Shyamalan in 2003, alleging similarities betweenSigns and his unpublished scriptLord of the Barrens: The Jersey Devil.[103][104]
In response to both allegations, Disney and Shyamalan's production company Blinding Edge issued statements calling the claims "meritless".[105]
Orson Scott Card has claimed that many elements ofThe Sixth Sense were plagiarized from his novelLost Boys, although he has said that enough had been changed that there was no point in suing.[106]
After the release ofThe Happening,The Guardian'sKim Newman questioned, "Can it be a kind of racism that the Indian-born, Philadelphia-raised auteur is hammered for his apparent character (or funny name) rather more than, say, Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee?"[107] TheBritish Film Institute (BFI) also discussed the impact of racism on Shyamalan's career, pointing to frequent mispronunciations of his last name.[108] By 2017,Vice said that "Shamalamadingdong" had become the "agreed-upon mockery of his name".[109]
BFI asked if critical attacks are the result of egotistical statements on Shyamalan's part. They question whether his strong statements of self-assurance coupled with the remarkable success ofThe Sixth Sense set up a fall from grace which was soon realized when a run of very successful films (The Sixth Sense,Unbreakable,Signs andThe Village) seemingly collapsed with a string of critical failures (Lady in the Water,The Happening,The Last Airbender, andAfter Earth).[108] In 2019, Tim Greiving ofThe Washington Post said that "his confidence was interpreted as arrogance by some, especially after he cast himself inLady in the Water as a brilliant writer whose book is prophesied as a world-saver." Greiving continued, "Howard, who expressed pride in him for forging ahead despite his turn among critics, noted how rare it was for such a young filmmaker to write, direct and produce original material. He wondered whether that placed a bigger target on his back, as his reputation for doggedness was perpetuated within the industry and reinforced by critics."[110]
^Huber, Robert; Wallace, Benjamin (2006).The Philadelphia Reader.Temple University Press. p. 197.Then [Shyamalan] changed his name. The idea came when he was applying for American citizenship at age 18.
^Bamberger, Michael (2007).The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale. New York: Gotham Books. p. 150.ISBN9781592402472.
^Shyamalan, M. Night (July 21, 2021),Old (Thriller), Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Thomasin McKenzie, Rufus Sewell, Universal Pictures, Blinding Edge Pictures,archived from the original on October 19, 2021, retrievedMay 13, 2021
^I Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America's Education Gap, Simon and Schuster, 2013,ISBN978-1-4767-1645-9
^"CinemaScore".CinemaScore.Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. RetrievedFebruary 12, 2021. Each film's score can be accessed from the website's search bar.
^"Padma Shri Awardees".india.gov.in. National Informatics Centre, Government of India. Archived fromthe original on September 30, 2009. RetrievedNovember 1, 2017.
Steve Baker,Ricky Blitt, Will Carlough, Tobias Carlson, Jacob Fleisher, Patrik Forsberg, Will Graham,James Gunn, Claes Kjellstrom, Jack Kukoda,Bob Odenkirk, Bill O'Malley, Matthew Alec Portenoy,Greg Pritikin, Rocky Russo,Olle Sarri, Elizabeth Wright Shapiro,Jeremy Sosenko, Jonathan van Tulleken, and Jonas Wittenmark –Movie 43 (2013)
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