Director M. Night Shyamalan is often associated with his iconic plot twists, and his recent psychological thriller Split was no exception. The 2016 movie told a fascinating story about a character with dissociative identity disorder, although the film's final moments put the entire movie on its head. It turns out that Split and Shyamalan's 2000 classic Unbreakable were set in the same universe, and those two movies will collide in the upcoming crossover film Glass.
All eye are on what M. Night Shyamalan will do with Glass, as he puts a wholly unique spin on the popular superhero genre. But the director also has to make a new movie, knowing that not everyone in theaters will have seen and remembered the previous two. But it turns out that he's not going recap those projects, as he recently revealed:
I said to Disney and Universal, 'Pretend there's no previous movies and I came to you and I said that I want to make a movie about a hospital that treats people who believe they're superheroes and three of their patients escape.' 'I want to make you that movie, will you make that movie? Oh and by the way, it stars Bruce Willis, Sam Jackson, James McAvoy, and Sarah Paulson. Will you make that movie?' Yes, you'll make that movie... Person XYZ who hasn't seen the other two will come to see that.
Talk about a bold choice. Rather than featuring a prologue regarding the events of Split and Unbreakable, M. Night Shyamalan decided to craft Glass into a story that doesn't need to be bogged down by exposition. The story should cover the necessary information, while also allowing the new project to stand on its own two feet, sans recap.
M. Night Shyamalan's comments to Digital Spy may be surprising for moviegoers, especially considering how long ago Unbreakable arrived in theaters. That movie was at the height of Shymalan's fame, fresh off the wild success of The Sixth Sense. Considering the 18 year gap, it would make sense if those who saw Unbreakable didn't recall the nuances of David Dunn and Mr. Glass' relationship.
Split was far more recent, and the plot twist involving Bruce Willis' David Dunn brought a ton of extra folks to the theaters. M. Night Shyamalan basically created a cinematic universe with that brief scene, and moviegoers have been discussing Split's contents since hit theaters two years ago. As such, a recap is probably less necessary.
Still, seeing Split and Unbreakable before Glass arrives would probably be a smart plan. In addition to being reacquainted with David Dunn and Mr. Glass' complicated relationship in Unbreakable, a rewatch of Split will help moviegoers remember Kevin's various personalities, as well as how Casey survived her attack.
Glass will arrive in theaters on January 18, 2019. In the meantime check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
