M. Night Shyamalan is maintaining his very lucrative relationship with Universal Pictures. The writer/director has set up two new thrillers at the studio.
The thrillers, currently untitled, will be released on February 26, 2021, and February 17, 2023. These will follow the three films he has already done with Universal (The Visit, Split & Glass) and they will also be independently financed by Shyamalan much like his previous three efforts with the studio.
The Visit, Split & Glass cost a combined $35 million to make and went on to $625 million at the worldwide box office. The Visit and Split were largely seen as big comebacks for the director and Glass, while receiving mixed reviews, was still a successful player at the box office.
Universal Pictures President Peter Cramer had this to say about Shyamalan sticking with the studio:
“M. Night Shyamalan continues to create exciting, highly original stories that keep global audiences on the edge of their seats. There is no one like him. He is a master filmmaker working at the height of his powers, and we are honored that he has once again chosen Universal to be the home for his next two incredible projects.”
Despite an inconsistent track record in terms of quality, M. Night Shyamalan’s box office grosses worldwide have topped $3.3 billion across all of his films. His films at Universal have proven to be very successful at the box office. Glass opened No. 1 at the box office, held the top spot for three weekends and made close to $250 million worldwide. Split also debuted at No. 1 and remained there for three weekends in a row during its 2017 release and made more than $278 million worldwide. Shyamalan’s The Visit (2015) took in close to $100 million worldwide.
Shyamalan had this to say about staying with Universal:
“There are wonderful studios out there, but Universal has made it a mandate to release original films. They are the best at finding an audience for new stories with unexpected tones. I believe original films are crucial to the longevity of the theatrical experience. I am so excited to be working with them again and bringing new stories to the movie screen for years to come.”
Up next for Shyamalan is Servant, a new 10-episode, half-hour psychological thriller series that will debut on the upcoming streaming service AppleTV+. In addition to executive producing the series, Shyamalan directed two episodes, including the pilot.
