Everyone loves a good comeback story. For M. Night Shyamalan, his particular return to form began with the release of The Visit two years ago. Not only did the found footage horror movie achieve relatively positive reviews, it signalled a collaboration between Shyamalan and Blumhouse, a production house that knows a thing or two about engineering excellent, downright riveting horror films on a shoestring budget.
That partnership carried over into Split, too, which proved to be a massive hit for both Blumhouse and Universal Pictures. The end result was a $276 million haul at the international box office – on a budget of $9 million, no less – and clearance to carry on with a sequel. Its name? Glass.
Pegged for a release in January of next year, Shyamalan’s wildly ambitious creative venture is set to tie together the story strands of Split and Unbreakable, the superhero-esque prequel movie that first launched in 2000. Such a rapid expansion allows for a cast comprised of Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy, and Anya Taylor-Joy, and we know from previous status reports that M. Night Shyamalan is rustling up a suitably dark conclusion to this most unorthodox of film franchises.
The latest piece of intel on Glass, which comes to us directly from the man himself, is typically cryptic, but if nothing else it does confirm that the illustrious director is now in possession of draft number three.
Finished draft 3 of #Glass. Looked through character's eyes this pass. Let them messy up the plot in any way they wished.
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) June 18, 2017
It turns out M. Night Shyamalan’s comeback story has wowed studio executives, too, with reports claiming that Universal has allotted a “more traditional” budget for Glass‘ ongoing production. That extra pool of resources will no doubt lend Shyamalan more leeway in the VFX department, and we’re fascinated to see what the final product looks like when all is said and done.
Glass has officially been slated for release on January 18th, 2019.