Jake Gyllenhaal will star in a new sports movie called ‘Play by Play’.
Chris McCoy wrote the script.
Amazon MGM Studios is backing the project.
It looks like Jake Gyllenhaal is becoming a company player for Amazon MGM Studios, as the company has bought yet another project for him to star in and produce via his Nine Stories production label.
Plot specifics about ‘Play by Play’ are largely under wraps (more on that below), but McCoy has a past in sports scripting and the potential movie will also be produced by a company called Religion of Sports’, co-owned by Tom Brady (yes, the one who has a little bit of sports experience himself) and Gotham Chopra.
Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
As we mentioned, Deadline’s report on Gyllenhaal boarding the movie offers no details on the story, but a quick online check suggests it’ll feature the story of a popular pro sports newscaster gets involved in a seedy underworld on his road trips and becomes a marked man by a notorious gang. But we’ll have to wait and see if that is the actual plot.
This is just the latest Amazon MGM movie Gyllenhaal is involved in, following the ‘Road House’ remake and its upcoming sequel.
He’s also in business with the company on ‘Honeymoon with Harry’, a forthcoming dramedy where he’ll star opposite Kevin Costner, as well as ‘Code Black’, a political thriller based on a short story by Harrison Query that’s currently in development.
Jake Gyllenhaal is reportedly to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s new movie.
It’s a romantic supernatural thriller.
Nicholas Sparks co-created the story and will write a book based on it.
The last time M. Night Shyamalan brought us a movie, he delivered last year’s ‘Trap,’ in which Josh Hartnett played a father escorting his daughter to a pop star’s concert, only to discover that the event is one giant snare designed to catch him –– as he’s also a serial killer whose latest victim is chained up in his basement.
Now the writer/director is back, and for his next trick, he’s got another big name actor looking to sign on. Jake Gyllenhaal, most recently seen in the ‘Road House’ remake, will take the lead role in the movie.
But perhaps more intriguing than the Gyllenhaal casting –– after all, Shyamalan has worked with the likes of Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson to name just a few in the past –– is word that the filmmaker concocted the story alongside Nicholas Sparks. Yes, the best-selling author.
Director M. Night Shyamalan talks ‘Trap,’ which opens in theaters on August 2nd.
That’s one element we don’t know yet, at least beyond the basic supernatural romance angle.
More fascinating is the detail that Shyamalan and Sparks both intend to use the story they came up with together. While Shyamalan works on his movie, Sparks will be writing a novel based on the basic plot.
Both projects will share the same concept and set of characters, but will be tailored to their respective mediums.
So will we see Gyllenhaal as a widower who discovers that… twist alert! His wife is not as deceased as he thought? Well, the twist here is that we really don’t know.
Shyamalan is, as usual, keeping this close on his latest effort.
Has Nicholas Sparks been connected with movies before?
(L to R) Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in ‘The Notebook.’ Photo: New Line Cinema.
Saying Sparks has movie links is like saying Apple TV+ has series starting with the letter “S.”
He has published twenty-three novels, all New York Times bestsellers, and two works of nonfiction, with over 115 million copies sold worldwide in more than 50 languages.
Films based on his novels have grossed more than $889 million worldwide, with more in development. He also worked as screenwriter on ‘The Last Song.’
Sparks’ latest book, ‘Counting Miracles,’ was released this past fall and debuted top of the New York Times bestsellers list. And you’ll be shocked to learn it’s in the process of being adapted into a film by Amazon.
This agreement with Shyamalan feels more unique –– and it’ll be interesting to see how the movie differs from the book. We’d guess the film might lean more closely into genre trappings.
What else does Jake Gyllenhaal have coming up?
Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Despite some early controversy about its straight-to-streaming distribution, Amazon’s ‘Road House’ was a massive hit for the studio breaking streaming records, with a sequel already in development.
Gyllenhaal next showed up in the critically acclaimed limited series ‘Presumed Innocent’ for Apple TV+, and that earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
This year he will share the stage starting next month with Denzel Washington in an adaptation of ‘Othello’ on Broadway.
The film doesn’t yet have a studio home, though ‘Trap’ distributors Warner Bros. are already in talks to handle it, so we doubt it’ll take long for that to lock in.
After four seasons of serving as director and showrunner on the Apple TV+ series ‘Servant,’ Shyamalan returns to the big screen with his latest thriller ‘Trap,’ which stars Josh Hartnett and opens in theaters on August 2nd.
In honor of its release, Moviefone has ranked every movie filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has ever directed, including his latest.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘After Earth’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
One thousand years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind’s new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai (Jaden Smith).
When an asteroid storm damages Cypher and Kitai’s craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Last Airbender’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The story follows the adventures of Aang (Noah Ringer), a young successor to a long line of Avatars, who must put his childhood ways aside and stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water, Earth and Air nations.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Happening’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
When a deadly airborne virus threatens to wipe out the northeastern United States, teacher Elliott Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) flee from contaminated cities into the countryside in a fight to discover the truth. Is it terrorism, the accidental release of some toxic military bio weapon — or something even more sinister?
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Praying with Anger’. Photo: Cinevistaas.
An alienated, Americanized teenager (Shyamalan) of East Indian heritage is sent back to India where he discovers not only his roots but a lot about himself.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Visit’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
A brother (Ed Oxenbould) and sister (Olivia DeJonge) are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a week, where they discover that the elderly couple (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie) is involved in something deeply disturbing.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Lady in the Water’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues what he thinks is a young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Wide Awake’. Photo: Miramax Films.
The tale of a ten-year-old boy (Joseph Cross) in a Catholic school who, following the death of his beloved grandfather (Robert Loggia), embarks on a quest to discover the meaning of life.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Old’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
A group of families on a tropical holiday discover that the secluded beach where they are staying is somehow causing them to age rapidly – reducing their entire lives into a single day.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Split’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him — as well as everyone around him — as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Villiage’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
When a willful young man (Joaquin Phoenix) tries to venture beyond his sequestered Pennsylvania hamlet, his actions set off a chain of chilling incidents that will alter the community forever.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Glass’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
In a series of escalating encounters, former security guard David Dunn (Bruce Willis) uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities. Meanwhile, the shadowy presence of Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
A father (Josh Hartnett) and teen daughter (Ariel Donoghue) attend a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Knock at the Cabin’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl (Kristen Cui) and her parents (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) are taken hostage by four armed strangers (Dave Bautista, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint) who demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. With limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Signs’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
A family (Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, and Abigail Breslin) living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Sixth Sense’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Following an unexpected tragedy, a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), who is hiding a dark secret.
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Unbreakable’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
An ordinary man (Bruce Willis) makes an extraordinary discovery when a train accident leaves his fellow passengers dead — and him unscathed. The answer to this mystery could lie with the mysterious Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a man who suffers from a disease that renders his bones as fragile as glass
Writer and director M. Night Shyamalan stages an intriguing and entertaining thriller that unfortunately unravels as the film moves towards its conclusion. The movie gives away too much too early and has no big surprises or twists to offer in the third act. However, the compelling story and Shyamalan’s unique direction, particularly with the concert sequences, will keep your attention throughout. While Josh Hartnett’s performance is telegraphed and doesn’t completely work, Saleka Shyamalan is excellent in her feature film debut.
If you watched the trailer for ‘Trap’, which did an excellent job of explaining the story and building suspense, then you probably already know the plot of the film. But in case you haven’t seen it, the film follows Cooper (Josh Hartnett), a dad taking his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert featuring her favorite popstar Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). However, Cooper soon realizes that the concert is really a trap for a notorious serial killer called “The Butcher,” and the trailer leads us to believe that Cooper is none other than the Butcher himself.
While I won’t confirm if that is true or not, I can say that the identity of the Butcher is revealed rather early in the film, and that is part of the problem. Because the mystery is solved in the first act, it leads you to believe that there will be another twist coming in the third act and there really isn’t. It also doesn’t help that any movie with Shyamalan’s name attached comes with certain audience expectations, but more on that later.
With that said, the movie’s premise and Shyamalan’s excellent direction continues to keep your attention throughout, even if it rings a bit hollow by the end. Shyamalan’s direction is most impressive in the concert sequences, which are sprawling and very realistic. He also orchestrates scenes in and around the arena well, building suspense at every turn.
Here’s the issue, Shyamalan has spent his career making mind-blowing films with surprise endings like ‘The Sixth Sense’ or ‘The Village’ and because of that, audiences have a certain expectation when they go to see a M. Night Shyamalan film. It seems that in recent years the director is trying to subvert those expectations by making movies that seem like they will have a twist, and then the twist is: that there isn’t a twist.
‘Knock at the Cabin’ is a great example of that. The premise was that four strangers claiming to be the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse offer a family a chance to avoid the impending doom. Most of the film is spent asking the central question: Are they telling the truth? While many audience members were expecting some big Shyamalan twist, the real twist was that there was no twist. They were exactly who they said they were.
I only bring this up to illustrate the point that it seems like Shyamalan’s signature twists have been replaced by fake out twists. Meaning that because audience members are expecting a Shyamalan twist, having no twist at all is the new twist, which might be exactly what the director wants. Without spoiling anything, that is also the case with ‘Trap’. I spent most of the movie waiting for the next big surprise, which unfortunately never came. Much like ‘Knock at the Cabin’, ‘Trap’ is exactly what it seems to be on the surface, which in the end left me disappointed.
Another big problem I had with the film comes from Josh Hartnett’s performance, which did not work for me. He seems to be trying too hard to make Cooper the “fun dad,” while also playing with the idea of “Is he the Butcher, or not?” Hartnett’s performance betrays the suspense Shyamalan is trying to build, and his relationship with his daughter and wife are never really fleshed out.
On the other hand, Saleka Shyamalan gives an excellent debut performance as Lady Raven. She is completely believable as a Lady Gaga/Taylor Swift type performer, as she is a legitimate pop-star in her own right. But Lady Raven’s role is not limited just to the stage as the character has much more to do in the third act, and Saleka is completely believable in those scenes.
Ariel Donoghue is adequate as Cooper’s daughter Riley, but other than playing a concert viewer, does not have a lot to do. Alison Pill plays Cooper’s wife, and her role is also underdeveloped, which causes a problem heading into the finale. Veteran actress Hayley Mills makes an appearance as an FBI profiler hunting the Butcher, and while her role is small, she brings a lot of gravitas to the character and is a welcomed addition to the cast.
In the end, ‘Trap’ is an entertaining thriller that will keep your attention throughout but may leave you disappointed with its conclusion. Josh Hartnett’s performance seems confused and muted at times, but Saleka Shyamalan’s Lady Raven vividly comes alive on screen. M. Night Shyamalan crafts a suspenseful and intriguing premise but can’t quite get it over the finish line.
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‘Trap’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
What is the plot of ‘Trap’?
Cooper, a serial killer dubbed “The Butcher”, joins his daughter at a concert for pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), an event he realizes is a trap set by police to catch him.
Director M. Night Shyamalan talks ‘Trap,’ which opens in theaters on August 2nd.
Moviefone recently had the honor of speaking with M. Night Shyamalan about his work on ‘Trap’, developing the screenplay, the audience’s expectations, working with Josh Hartnett, directing his daughter, and filming the concert sequences.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about developing the screenplay and the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?
M. Night Shyamalan: It was an unusual birthing process for the movie because it was more of a kind of a challenge, a conceit of Saleka, my daughter, and I talking about how to aim an album towards a narrative and making it more of a theatrical experience, because the concert experience and theatrical experience are similar and it’s an audience thing, and could we put those together? I was encouraged by seeing movies like ‘A Star is Born’ or other movies where I was engulfed in the music at moments, and say, could we do a whole movie like that and make it a thriller? So Saleka and I talked a lot about that and then I was like, “Let me think if there’s a plot I can think of.” Then we said, “Well, maybe let’s do it in one location, an arena where you hear an album that way, but the characters are listening to it as something else is going on.” So, it kind of started that way.
MF: There are certain expectations that come with an M. Night Shyamalan movie. At this point in your career, are you trying to subvert those expectations, or do you embrace them?
MNS: Well, I always find it fascinating because it’s not necessarily accurate. For example, if they go, “Oh, he makes scary movies,” and I go, “I do? ‘Unbreakable‘?” And they go, “Well, not ‘Unbreakable’.” Then you go, “Well, he does that,” so you have to keep on, and I can keep going like that. “Oh, he does this. He does that.” For me, being original and having certain aspects, let’s say like highest quality audience movies is what I want to make, and being proud and honored to make audience movies. Maybe other people might think of genre as a lesser art form. I don’t think of it that way. But we still want to go, we want to give you the best performances, the best cinematography, the best music, everything, all in service of the characters in the story, and I feel the audience feels all of that. So, for me, that’s what you should expect when you come to see my movie. Certainly not tone or movement or structure or anything like that. It’s going to be surprising in some way.
MF: Can you talk about working with Josh Hartnett and why he was the right actor for this role?
MNS: It was an amazing experience with Josh. We’re very similar and we’re very close. I think partly, it might be in some ways that we both had early success in our twenties and then chose to live outside of Hollywood and raise our families. We also coincidentally have three daughters. There’s a lot of interesting things that bond us, and the thing is the way I choose to make movies really excites him. I make them smaller with high risk and complicated characters and new tones, and you’re not going to be safe. There’s not a lot of frills when you make a movie with me. You’re coming and we’re all just going for it. I am going to be eating a sandwich on the set and that’s lunch, and let’s just keep thinking about how to do this. And make it as fun, almost like film school again, and he loves that. He’s only drawn when there’s high risk, and I’m the same way. For me, when I met him, I was looking for someone who could play a dad, who was incredibly charming. A handsome guy who no one would ever think could do anything wrong and would embrace the complexity of this other side of him, and struggle with it in the right way in front of the camera, and he was just perfect for it.
MNS: Well, I wrote Lady Raven, the character, as a version of Saleka, but as she would tell you, a more outgoing, extroverted version of herself. She would tell you I’m writing what I wish she was, that she would be more extroverted and be more relaxed and that kind of thing, but that’s not true. It’s a fictional character. I love Saleka the way she is. She’s such a pure artist, and so for me, directing human beings that are connected to their truth with no artifice, that’s the most important thing. That can be a world-class actor like Josh who’s learned to de-filter himself and be connected to his purity. It can be a child. It can be a human being like Saleka that has studied her art form of music to the point that she’s also unfiltered like Josh. So, I can just talk through the characters to these people, whether it’s a child or Saleka or Josh, and we just get rid of all those affectations. We can never reproduce it. That’s always the goal, I tell the actors. Let’s do something right now that we cannot reproduce, we couldn’t do it again. That’s because you’re so present and the audience feels that magic, so that’s always our goal. You and I couldn’t do this movie again. It just wouldn’t come out the same way.
MF: Finally, can you talk about shooting the concert sequences?
MNS: The concert stuff was incredible because I learned a different type of storytelling in that. Giving so much love to the element that’s behind the story is really rewarding and it really enriches everything and has ramifications that you foresee. Like say for example, the way we spent so much time on making this a real concert, the lighting, the movement and the way the audience is reacting and cheering around Josh. Or the light on his face, all that stuff, or his reaction or all the extras and the way they’re dazzled by what they’re watching because it’s a real concert, those all come to play out and is very similar to what you’re watching.
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What is the plot of ‘Trap’?
Cooper, a serial killer dubbed “The Butcher”, joins his daughter at a concert for pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), an event he realizes is a trap set by police to catch him.
‘The Watchers’, which marks the feature film debut of director Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan (‘The Sixth Sense’) who is also a producer on the film, opens in theaters on June 7th.
Director Ishana Night Shyamalan delivers a satisfying and entertaining supernatural thriller that shows a lot of potential for the young filmmaker, even if the movie does become predictable at times and is weighed down by the expectation of a “Shyamalan twist.” Actress Dakota Fanning gives a moody yet layered performance as the lead character and is flanked by an excellent supporting ensemble that includes Georgina Campbell and Olwen Fouéré.
The movie begins by introducing us to Mina (Dakota Fanning), a young American living in Ireland who is struggling with guilt from a personal family tragedy. Mina works in a pet store and is asked to deliver a rare bird to a sanctuary miles away. On her journey, Mina’s car breaks down in an untouched forest in western Ireland. While looking for help, Mina’s car mysteriously disappears, and she starts to have visions of things that are not there.
As the sun goes down, Mina soon meets an older woman named Madeline (Olwen Fouéré) who warns her that if she wants to live, she must follow her into a strange building located in the woods. Mina agrees and soon meets two other strangers, Ciara (Georgina Campbell) and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan). It is explained to Mina that there are creatures in the woods known as “The Watchers,” who only come out at night and to survive they must all live together in this room, which has windows for the Watchers to observe them through.
Reluctant at first, Mina eventually agrees to the conditions and lives with the others for months, secretly sneaking out during the day to find a way out of the woods. However, she begins to question what they know about the creatures observing them, and soon realizes that things are not as they appear. Now, it is up to Mina to discover the truth about the Watchers if she wants to ever escape the forest and overcome her own insecurities and fears.
Ishana Night Shyamalan’s screenplay is well crafted and builds the suspense throughout. With only four main characters, the script allows time to explore but only Mina and Madeline are given true arcs, and it would have been nice to see more character development with Ciara and Daniel. A big question in the film is “who are the Watchers”? Shyamalan keeps that answer close to her vest through most of the movie, and when it is finally revealed, it’s a bit predictable and not the mind-shattering twist that you might expect.
But Shyamalan does deliver an impressive directorial debut, with excellent shot selection between her and the cinematographer Eli Arenson. While there is only really one set, the production design also is impressive, and the scenes in the woods are moody, and well lighted even at night. As for the design of the creatures, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but they did work well within the context of the film. It’s also worth mentioning that the movie features a fake reality show that the characters watch on TV, which is very funny and was also written and directed by Shyamalan.
The problem with having the last name “Shyamalan’ is that it comes with the expectation of a wild twist ending. Of course, this is because of movies like ‘The Sixth Sense’ and ‘Split’, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, which featured shocking twist endings. Now audiences expect that from M. Night with every film he makes, and I’m afraid that the same will be expected form Ishana’s new movie. Because we as an audience now expect that type of ending from anyone named Shyamalan, it makes the twists and turns in ‘The Watchers’ seem slightly predictable. The twist still works and is satisfying and entertaining, but you’ll probably be able to see it coming. Again, this isn’t Ishana’s fault, the twist is well executed, it just doesn’t land as the big surprise that it was intended because of the audience’s expectations.
We’ve all watched Dakota Fanning grow up on screen from her early roles in ‘I Am Sam’ and ‘Man on Fire’ to making more adult fair like ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ and ‘The Equalizer 3’. ‘The Watchers’ marks Fanning’s first lead role as an adult and she carries the film well. Fanning plays Mina as a dark, moody and guilt-stricken young woman, who refuses to give up. The actress has some great scenes with Fouéré and overall, a good chemistry with the rest of the cast.
For her role, Olwen Fouéré brings a lot of mystery to Madeline, which helps the third act twist. The actress, who was also recently seen in ‘Tarot’ plays the “creepy lady” role well with her distinctive signature look and brings a strong presence to the film. As for Georgina Campbell and Oliver Finnegan both give solid performances, especially Campbell, but are each shortchanged by the script. We hardly get to know who Daniel was before he came to the woods, and Ciara’s missing husband is not explored as much as it could have been.
Ishana Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut is an impressive one, even if the film is not perfect. The director creates a suspenseful mood with the help of Dakota Fanning’s captivating performance, but the supporting characters could have been developed more. While the third act twist is predictable due to the “Shyamalan Effect’, even with its predictability, the final twist is still interesting and feels like a satisfying conclusion to the movie.
‘The Watchers’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘The Watchers’?
28-year-old artist Mina (Dakota Fanning) gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. Upon finding shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Dakota Fanning to talk about her work on ‘The Watchers’, her first reaction to the screenplay, collaborating with director Ishana Night Shyamalan on set, working with a bird, and the challenges of being part of a small cast.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Fanning, Georgina Campbell and director Ishana Night Shyamalan.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of this character you were excited to explore on screen?
Dakota Fanning: I was excited to portray a character that’s at that in between in their life where they’re not super young, and they’re obviously not old, and they’re still at the beginning of their life, but you’re at that crossroads, that standstill. I felt a little like that when we were making the movie. I was in my late 20s, which was not the best time in my life. I just turned 30, and I’m like, I love it so much. Not that there was anything wrong. You just feel in between something. You know? So, I could relate to that aspect of it. When you’re a searcher. That’s what I really felt when I read this character. She’s clearly a searcher. She’s burying things from her past, and she’s looking and looking. Then I was also really excited by the mythical, fairy tale, folklore aspect of the story. It felt like it was something I hadn’t seen before. Mixing that with this suspense and a genre movie, and I was really excited by that. Ishana is just an inspiring person to talk to. She’s so full of creativity, and I was excited to be a part of her first film, and it clearly won’t be the last.
MF: What was your experience like collaborating with director Ishana Night Shyamalan on set?
DF: It was great. I mean, she’s so knowledgeable about what she wants to do. She had a very clear vision always about what she was looking for. I found her collaboration with the DP Eli (Arenson) on this movie, I felt that she had a lot of ideas for the shots that were not what you would expect. We never did a master two shot. It just wasn’t traditional. It was a non-traditional approach to how she would cover scenes and a little bit unconventional. It was cool to be part of something new. She just is a great person. She has big smile on her face all the time, even on the coldest, wettest day in the forest. So, I can’t help but have that rub off on me.
MF: Can you talk about the challenges of working with a bird?
DF: The bird was fine. Honestly, the bird gave me no problems. It did bite me one day, I think it was just trying to climb on my fingers with its beak, so it didn’t mean to. It was a very nice bird. The bird’s name was Sunshine in real life, and the bird got a lot of attention. People really doted on the bird. It was a great scene partner. The bird was happy.
MF: Finally, can you talk about the benefits of being part of a small cast, and what was it like working with your co-stars Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré and Oliver Finnegan?
DF: Oh, it was so great. I mean, it’s such an interesting group, the four of us. Everybody has a different age, a different time in our lives. So, I think it was a cool group. Talk about inspiring. Olwen is by far the most physically capable one out of all of us. She’s like, “I want to do the fights.” We’re like, “Olwen, relax.” But she’s so fun to be around and such a gentle person. Georgina’s awesome, and Oliver’s awesome. Everyone was just cool. It was just us figuring it out, and we had a great time together.
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What is the plot of ‘The Watchers’?
28-year-old artist Mina (Dakota Fanning) gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. Upon finding shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.
‘The Watchers’ director Ishana Night Shyamalan at CinemaCon 2024. Photo: Warner Bros.
Scheduled to open in theaters on June 14th is the new supernatural thriller ‘The Watchers,’ which is based on the novel of the same name by author A.M. Shine and was produced by acclaimed filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan (‘Unbreakable’) and directed by his daughter, Ishana Night Shyamala (‘Servant’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of attending an event called “Summer of Shyamalan,” which included the screening of the new trailer from M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap,’ as well as 10 minutes of footage from first time feature film director Ishana Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Watchers.’
(L to R) Oliver Finnegan as Daniel, Olwen Fouere as Madeline, Dakota Fanning as Mina and Georgina Campbell as Ciara in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller ‘The Watchers,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
The screening began with a sequence from the film that features Dakota Fanning’s Mina traveling in a car with her pet bird, Darwin. When Mina comes across a “Point of No Return” sign, her car breaks down and she begins walking in through looking for help. Mina soon begins lost and cannot find her way back to the car. After she is attacked by a group of bats, Mina sees someone running through the woods and she follows.
Mina discovers an older woman standing in front of a mysterious door in the woods. The woman says, “If you want to live, you’ll have to run.” Mina runs into the doorway and is lead to a strange room where she is locked in with the woman and two other strangers. It is explained to Mina that she will be safe if she stays in the room because the Watchers can’t come in.
Mina notices a large window in the room and suddenly is told to get in a line with the other strangers to meet the Watchers. The sequence ends with a character saying, “Welcome to the show.” The scene was followed by a screening of the new trailer, which was released today and you can watch below.
(L to R) Georgina Campbell as Ciara and Dakota Fanning as Mina in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller ‘The Watchers,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
What did Ishana Night Shyamalan say about ‘The Watchers’?
‘The Watchers’ director Ishana Night Shyamalan at CinemaCon 2024. Photo: Warner Bros.
After the screening, we had a chance to speak exclusively with writer and director Ishana Night Shyamalan about her work on ‘The Watchers’.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about adapting the novel and the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?
Ishana Night Shyamalan: I think so many things. That was something I was very considerate about when entering. Now I know it’s an incredible amount of work and takes a lot of endurance and you lose yourself in so many ways. My dad gave me this advice, he’s like, “Look for the piece that has an unending well for you. That sort of feels like you can never stop thinking about it, and you go deeper and deeper.” This book came to me and felt like it had that. It had the fantasy bend that I’m interested in and a very beautiful horror structure to it, and characters that I felt like could be painted and played with. So, it just had those elements and it felt also very representative of me and what I was dealing with now.
MF: Obviously, with your last name, audiences will be expecting a certain type of movie from you. Did you embrace that or deliberately try to invert expectations?
INS: Absolutely. I think I’ve always been very acutely aware of at least in my mind, what the perception will be and what the expectations are. I was really interested in playing with those expectations. So, starting with something that felt expected and then expanding into something that’s very me and kind of like an indication of what I want to do. So, my hope is that it does that where it satisfies the feeling that you come in wanting, but then kind of takes you somewhere else a bit.
MF: Finally, did you seek advice from your dad while making the movie, or did you want to do it on your own?
INS: He’s been just the most incredible mentor throughout this process. He cares so much, which can be very overwhelming for me at moments. I think there’s constantly an ego thing in it for me where I’m like, “I want to do this on my own. I don’t want to be tethered to your way of thinking.” That’s just me being an egotistical young person. So, I constantly am trying to honor the opportunity I’ve been given. I was born in this life where I have access to an incredible artist here. So, it’s just a wonderful, wonderful thing. I hope I’ve made him proud in the process.
When Will ‘The Watchers’ Be in Theaters?
‘The Watchers’ is scheduled for release on June 14th.
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What is the plot of ‘The Watchers’?
28-year-old artist Mina (Dakota Fanning) gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. Upon finding shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.
(L to R) Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan of ‘Trap’ and writer/director Ishana Shyamalan of ‘The Watchers’ attend the “Summer of Shyamalan” event at Soho House on April 16, 2024 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of attending an event called “Summer of Shyamalan,” which included a screening of the new trailer from ‘Trap’ that dropped today and you can watch above. As well as screening 10 minutes of footage from the new movie by M. Night Shyamalan’s other daughter, filmmaker Ishana Night Shyamalan, entitled ‘The Watchers.’
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M. Night Shyamalan Introduces the ‘Trap’ Trailer
Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan of ‘Trap’ attends the “Summer of Shyamalan” event at Soho House on April 16, 2024 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.
Before we screened the new trailer, the director explained the genesis of the project and developing it with his daughter, Saleka Shyamalan.
So, ‘Trap’ was this kind of very interesting genesis of each time out, I’m trying to do something, I think that fusion of genres a little bit. So just for me, it’s exciting. For 30 years I’ve been making movies now and the idea of that. You’ve got the comic that’s distinct and unique. I know sometimes the system doesn’t like that, that it’s completely original, completely different. But I think more and more that’s becoming a signature beacon that kind of pops out to the audience, and they’re so savvy, they can feel that. In this case, my oldest daughter, Saleka is an amazing musician that’s classically trained, a pianist and was going to go do that for her life and go to conservatory. Then she started to write and sing. Then she started touring and she signed to Columbia Records. We would follow her around the country and be backstage at Radio City Music Hall or wherever it was and got to see that life a bit. We started talking about the idea of the experience of seeing a concert and the experience of seeing a movie as these kinds of beautiful last experiences that we do together. We started talking and I said, “What if we did one together?” This is going to sound crazy after you see the trailer but, we’re huge fans of ‘Purple Rain.’ So, I was like, it’s a narrative structure, a diegetic where the song is part of the story and fusing these two worlds together. It doesn’t happen very often, if ever, as opposed to the U2 song playing over a montage or something like that. But the characters are experiencing that thing. So, me and her started talking about, “Hey, we should think of something because this is one house where you could write the album and we can make the movie.” So, one day I got this idea and I said, “Oh my gosh, I got this idea to do this, it takes place at a concert.” Then I thought for a bit, I didn’t know exactly the point of view of how to do it. Then one day I was like, “What if I did it from that angle?” I told her and she was like, “Oh my God, let’s do this.” So, this is two years later and here is that experiment.
What does the trailer reveal about the plot of ‘Trap?’
Josh Hartnett in ‘Trap’. Photo: Warner Bros.
The trailer reveals that ‘Trap’ is about a father, played by Josh Hartnett, who takes his daughter to a famous pop singer’s stadium concert. The musician is portrayed by Saleka Shyamalan and is clearly a Taylor Swift level performer.
Hartnett’s character soon discovers that the entire concert is really a trap set by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to capture a notorious serial killer. Shyamalan is best known for the surprising twists in his movies, and ‘Trap’ is no exception as the end of the trailer leads one to believe that Hartnett is really playing the killer who has been trapped.
But we’ll have to wait and see what other twists and turns Shyamalan has in store for us when ‘Trap’ hits theaters on August 9th.
M. Night Shyamalan Explains ‘Trap’
‘Trap’ director M. Night Shyamalan at CinemaCon 2024. Photo: Warner Bros.
Moviefone had a chance to speak with M. Night Shyamalan after the screening to talk about his work on ‘Trap.’
Moviefone: Can you talk about coming up with the concept for ‘Trap’ and what were the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?
M. Night Shyamalan: The idea was, how can we do diegetic music in a thriller that’s not fluff, that it’s really conveying the circumstances and the tone of the piece and is tied to characters very deeply. So, that thought pattern, because of the arenas and these concert venues that I’ve seen Saleka in and playing. I was like, “Wow, we should set it in there. It could be a larger version of one of my movies, like a house.” A lot of times, I have characters just trapped in a house. So, this is a larger version of that. So, having that conversation and talking with Saleka about that character and, as a real character, why do they sing what they sing? What did these songs mean to her fans?
MF: At this point in your career, audiences expect a certain kind of movie from you as a director, something in the horror genre. But ‘Trap’ seems more like a suspenseful thriller. Can you talk about the genre and subverting expectations with this film?
MNS: I love ‘Shadow of a Doubt.’ I have that poster up in the house and it has a wicked tone about it. The uncle that’s so sweet and it turns out he’s not so sweet. The young woman who’s his niece and all that stuff, that’s named after him/ and all of that. The humor of that movie. So, Hitchcock will forever be the teacher. Somewhere deep in my childhood the DNA is built in there about these archetypes of the bad guy you love.
(L to R) Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan of ‘Trap’ and writer/director Ishana Shyamalan of ‘The Watchers’ attend the “Summer of Shyamalan” event at Soho House on April 16, 2024 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.
But while Shyamalan has moved on to other subjects, McAvoy is reuniting with the company for a new film, a remake of 2022 Danish thriller ‘Speak No Evil’.
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What’s the story of ‘Speak No Evil’?
The basic synopsis for the original movie reads as follows… “A Danish family visits a Dutch family they met on a holiday. What was supposed to be an idyllic weekend slowly starts unraveling as the Danes try to stay polite in the face of unpleasantness.”
Suffice to say, it really doesn’t end well for one side of that story, but we won’t dig into it any further to avoid spoiling anything. Director Christian Tafdrup wrote the script with brother Mads, and the new movie will be based on their screenplay.
We would expect though, there to be some significant thematic changes for American audiences, as the original dips into some Eurocentric views on politics. But with commentary on fascism running through it, that’s something that a new movie could certainly also draw from that, given the state of American politics.
‘M3GAN’ producer and CEO of Blumhouse Productions Jason Blum.
Who is making the new movie?
James Watkins, the British director who has made movies such as cult thriller ‘Eden Lake’ and the wildly successful, Daniel Radcliffe-starring ‘The Woman in Black’, which became the most profitable British horror title in history, earning more than $129 million worldwide, is on for the remake.
Watkins, who has also made terror sequel ‘The Descent: Part 2’ and branched out beyond the horror genre for crime drama ‘Bastille Day’ and small screen entries such as ‘Black Mirror’ episode “Shut Up and Dance” and crime thriller series ‘McMafia’, has written the script and will make the new movie.
He most recently oversaw an update of a much older title –– a TV adaptation of 1965 spy thriller movie ‘The Ipcress File.’
As usual, Blumhouse boss Jason Blum will be among the producers alongside Christian Tafdrup, Paul Ritchie, Jacob Jarek, and Bea Sequeira, serving as executive producers.
McAvoy is no stranger to remakes –– he was seen in 2021’s ‘My Son’, which was drawn from 2017 French thriller ‘Mon Garcon’. And he was more recently back on TV screens as Lord Asriel in the third and final season of book adaptation ‘His Dark Materials. In addition to that, he appeared on stage in ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ and worked with Sharon Horgan in the BBC’s COVID lockdown-set ‘Together’, which was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA.
Blumhouse and Universal are clearly confident in this one, with a flag already planted on August 9th, 2024, as a release date.
James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb in 2019’s ‘Glass.’
