We all doubted him, but it seems that M. Night Shyamalan is now in the midst of a pretty exciting comeback. Though it began several years ago with The Visit and Wayward Pines, it’s really starting to kick off in full force now thanks to Split.
What appeared to be another twisted thriller on the surface actually ended up as much more than that. Aside from pulling in a respectable haul at the box office – it now sits at $142.7 million off a $9 million budget – the film also acted as a lead-in for the long-awaited Unbreakable 2. Or would it be 3 now?
Whatever the project is ultimately titled remains to be seen, but either way, we’re getting a sequel to the original Unbreakable and it’s going to involve characters from both franchises, now that we know they take place in the same universe. Details are still scarce, which is understandable, but the director’s already hard at work on crafting the script, which will apparently “finish the story.” He’s been talking it up quite a bit recently and over the weekend, he teased it once again on Twitter.
I have an 11 page outline for my next film in my bag. I can't tell you what it is, but If you've seen #Split…
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) February 4, 2017
Again, we really have no idea yet what Shyamalan has planned here (aside from Bruce Willis going up against James McAvoy, which is more than enough to rope us in), but now that the groundwork has been laid and the origin stories are out of the way, he can really dive into this world and explore it further, which will be a lot of fun for fans. Even in the current cinematic climate, which is oversaturated with superhero films, there’s definitely room for another Unbreakable and it’s nice to see that the director is finally getting to make one.
Shyamalan has certainly had a tough time in recent years, but he’s still a talented filmmaker when he doesn’t go too far off the rails with his work and given that he now looks to have found his groove again, we can’t wait to see what he delivers with Unbreakable 2.