Released in theaters last month, M. Night Shyamalan's Trap features an unexpected ending... in that it doesn't really feature an unexpected ending. The writer/director has been directly associated with big cinematic twists since the release of The Sixth Sense over 20 years ago, but that wasn't part of the game plan in his film about a serial killer trying to evade authorities during a concert at a stadium. The movie played against expectations for Shyamalan – and it will be interesting to see if that's something that carries over into his next feature.
In regards to what the Split filmmaker is cooking up next, he has revealed that his latest project is moving through his personal stages of development and has reached a critical milestone. Shyamalan posted about his next movie on his personal Instagram page, and you can check out his photo and caption in the embed below:
Every writer has their own special way of working, and in M. Night Shyamalan's case, handwritten notebooks are a significant part of the method to his madness. He explains that every new project he works on begins with selecting a notebook that he can put thoughts and ideas in, and when all of the pages are full, he is ready to start working on a script outline. His plots and plans for his next movie are currently being cooked up between some bright red covers... though he gives us no indication of what the film will be about or what it will be called.
History suggests that the seventeenth film from director M. Night Shyamalan will feature a simple title that will be revealed to have multiple meanings within the story... but like the case with Trap's non-twist ending, we can't really assume anything. It's possible that the filmmaker will wholly subvert our expectations and go with something long and silly a la Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb or Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood.
Trap will be wrapping up its theatrical release soon (it dropped out of the box office Top 10 a few weeks ago and is presently only playing in about 200 locations domestically), but it has now crossed $80 million worldwide – as noted by M. Night Shyamalan in his Instagram post. It's the twelfth of his 17 directorial efforts to make that much money in ticket sales.
Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for the latest info regarding what M. Night Shyamalan is cooking up next. If you've already seen Trap and you're hungry for more Spooky Season treats, check out our Upcoming Horror Movies guide (the coming weeks are filled with exciting titles), and you can learn about all of the films heading to theaters in what remains of the year with our 2024 Movie Release Calendar.
