M. Night Shyamalan filmography

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Shyamalan at a press conference for The Happening in 2008 M. Night Shyamalan 2008 - still 40580.jpg
Shyamalan at a press conference for The Happening in 2008

Indian-American filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan wrote, directed, and starred in his first project, the independent film Praying with Anger , while he was a student at New York University; inspired by his cultural upbringing, the movie was released in 1992 and earned him praise at film festivals. [1] [2] His next film, the comedy-drama Wide Awake about a grieving child struggling with his Catholic faith, was completed in 1995 but shelved by the studio Miramax until 1998. [3] [4] During this period, he did an uncredited rewrite of the script for the romantic-comedy She's All That that allegedly "got the movie green-lit" and co-wrote the live-action/animated film Stuart Little (both released in 1999). [5] [6] Also in 1999, he wrote and directed the supernatural drama The Sixth Sense , starring Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient claims he can see and talk to the dead. The three projects were commercially successful, with The Sixth Sense becoming the second-highest grossing film of the year and earning Shyamalan international attention and name recognition from critics and audiences and Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. [7] [8]

Contents

He reunited with Willis on the thriller Unbreakable about a seemingly average man, David Dunn, who learns he has superhuman abilities. The film co-starred Samuel L. Jackson and was released in 2000. Like Unbreakable, his science-fiction thriller Signs (2002) and period drama The Village (2004) found financial success and solidified him as a filmmaker known for his twist endings and cameo appearances. [9] [10] [11] The next decade, however, saw a series of critical misfires with Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), and the higher-budgeted The Last Airbender (2010) and After Earth (2013). [12] In 2015, he had a career resurgence after partnering with Universal Pictures on the found footage horror film The Visit , which made $98.5 million on a $5 million budget he self-funded by taking out a loan against his estate. [13] He worked with Universal again on Split (2016) and its sequel Glass (2019), which with Unbreakable comprise the Eastrail 177 Trilogy ; Old (2021); and Knock at the Cabin (2023). [14] He partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures for his latest film, Trap (2024). [15] Since The Visit, he has partly self-financed his films. [16] In television, he directed the pilot of Wayward Pines (2015) and showran Servant (2019–2023).

Films

M. Night Shyamalan's film credits
YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotesRef(s)
1992 Praying with Anger YesYesYesStudent film [1]
1998 Wide Awake YesYesNo [17]
1999 She's All That NoUncredited rewriteNo [18]
The Sixth Sense YesYesNo [19]
Stuart Little NoYesNo [6]
2000 Unbreakable YesYesYes [20]
2002 Signs YesYesYes [21]
2004 The Village YesYesYes [22]
2006 Lady in the Water YesYesYes [23]
2008 The Happening YesYesYes [24]
2010 The Last Airbender YesYesYes [25]
Devil NoStoryYes [26]
2013 After Earth YesYesYes [27]
2015 The Visit YesYesYes [28]
2016 Split YesYesYes [29]
2019 Glass YesYesYes [30]
2021 Old YesYesYes [31]
2023 Knock at the Cabin YesYesYes [32]
2024 The Watchers NoNoYes [33]
Trap YesYesYes [34]
Caddo Lake NoNoYes [35]

Notes

    Television

    M. Night Shyamalan's television credits
    YearTitleDirectorExecutive producerNotesRef(s)
    2015–16 Wayward Pines YesYesEpisode: "Where Paradise Is Home" [36]
    2019–23 Servant YesYesEpisodes: "Reborn", "Jericho", "2:00", "Donkey", "Awake" [37]

    Acting credits

    M. Night Shyamalan's acting credits
    YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)
    1992 Praying with Anger Dev Raman [1]
    1999 The Sixth Sense Dr. Hill [38]
    2000 Unbreakable JaiCredited as "stadium drug dealer" [38]
    2002 Signs Ray Reddy [38]
    2004 The Village JayCredited as "guard at desk" [38]
    2006 Lady in the Water Vick Ran [38]
    2007 Entourage HimselfEpisode: "Sorry, Harvey" [39]
    2008 The Happening JoeyPlayed a voice on a phone call made by a character [38]
    2010 The Last Airbender FirebenderUncredited [40]
    2016 Split Jai [38]
    2019 Glass Jai [38]
    2019, 2020 This Is Us HimselfEpisodes: "The Pool: Part Two" and "A Hell of a Week: Part Two" [41] [42]
    2019 Servant Delivery manEpisode: "Reborn" [43]
    2021 Old TheoCredited as "hotel van driver" [44]
    2023 Knock at the Cabin Infomercial co-host [45]
    2024 Trap Lady Raven's uncle [46]

    Critical and public response

    Critical and public response to films from M. Night Shyamalan
    YearFilm Rotten Tomatoes [47] Metacritic [48] CinemaScore [49]
    1992 Praying with Anger ———
    1998 Wide Awake 45% (33 reviews)——
    1999 The Sixth Sense 86% (158 reviews)64 (35 reviews)A–
    2000 Unbreakable 70% (173 reviews)62 (31 reviews)C
    2002 Signs 74% (236 reviews)59 (36 reviews)B
    2004 The Village 43% (218 reviews)44 (40 reviews)C
    2006 Lady in the Water 25% (212 reviews)36 (36 reviews)B–
    2008 The Happening 17% (185 reviews)34 (38 reviews)D
    2010 The Last Airbender 5% (192 reviews)20 (33 reviews)C
    2013 After Earth 12% (213 reviews)33 (41 reviews)B
    2015 The Visit 68% (229 reviews)55 (34 reviews)B–
    2016 Split 77% (307 reviews)62 (47 reviews)B+
    2019 Glass 36% (396 reviews)43 (53 reviews)B
    2021 Old 50% (313 reviews)55 (52 reviews)C+
    2023 Knock at the Cabin 68% (235 reviews)63 (54 reviews)C
    2024 Trap 57% (232 reviews)52 (46 reviews)C+

    See also

    References

    1. 1 2 3 "AFI Catalog - Praying with Anger (1993)". American Film Institute . Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    2. ↑ Thomas, Lou (January 28, 2019). "Where to begin with M. Night Shyamalan". British Film Institute . Retrieved February 23, 2025.
    3. ↑ Davids, Brian (January 31, 2023). "M. Night Shyamalan Says He Has Experienced Hollywood Highs and Lows So Many Times". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 23, 2025.
    4. ↑ Abramovitch, Seth (July 21, 2021). "Rosie O'Donnell Recalls Confronting Harvey Weinstein About M. Night Shyamalan Film Wide Awake". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 23, 2025.
    5. ↑ Busis, Hillary (June 17, 2013). "M. Night Shyamalan and 'She's All That': Did he really write it?". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 23, 2025.
    6. 1 2 Floorwalker, Mike (June 14, 2021). "The Untold Truth Of M. Night Shyamalan". Looper.com . Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    7. ↑ Bolling, Gaius (August 4, 2024). "How M. Night Shyamalan Ruled the Summer Box Office in 1999". MovieWeb . Retrieved February 23, 2025.
    8. ↑ Mendelson, Scott (August 6, 2014). "'The Sixth Sense' Made M. Night Shyamalan Into Hollywood's Last Spielberg". Forbes . Retrieved February 23, 2025.
    9. ↑ Greiving, Tim (July 30, 2020). "M. Night Shyamalan Talks Signs, Twists, and Crop-Circle Tattoos". The Ringer . Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
    10. ↑ Morris, Wesley (August 24, 2020). "Plot Twist! Why 2004 Was a Surprising Year for Movies" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
    11. ↑ Goslin, Austen; Egan, Toussaint (October 25, 2024). "M. Night Shyamalan's cameos ranked in order of importance". Polygon . Retrieved February 23, 2025.
    12. ↑ Barnes, Brooks (August 18, 2015). "With The Visit, M. Night Shyamalan Returns to His Filmmaking Roots" . The New York Times . Retrieved October 11, 2022.
    13. ↑ Hiatt, Brian (December 20, 2018). "The Fall and Rise of M. Night Shyamalan" . Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
    14. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (September 16, 2019). "M. Night Shyamalan Sets His Next Two Movies at Universal for Release in 2021, 2023". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
    15. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 16, 2023). "M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros, Sets Trap At Studio". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 16, 2023.
    16. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan's risky self-financing run continues with Trap". Associated Press . July 25, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
    17. ↑ Ebert, Roger (March 27, 1998). "Wide Awake". RogerEbert.com . Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    18. ↑ Russell, Mike (August 2002). "Night's Skies | In Focus, Volume II, Number 8". National Association of Theatre Owners . Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    19. ↑ Nichols, Mackenzie (August 2, 2019). "The Sixth Sense Turns 20: M. Night Shyamalan and Haley Joel Osment Tell All". Variety . Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    20. ↑ Bramesco, Charles (November 23, 2020). "Unbreakable at 20: the film that finally took superheroes seriously". The Guardian . Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    21. ↑ Budowski, Jade (July 29, 2017). "Signs At 15: The Scariest Alien Movie Ever?". Decider. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    22. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (July 30, 2019). "In Defense of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village". Collider . Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    23. ↑ Freer, Ian. "Lady In The Water Review". Empire . Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    24. ↑ Honeycutt, Kirk (June 9, 2008). "The Happening: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    25. ↑ "M Night Shyamalan's Last Airbender wins Razzie Awards". BBC Online . February 27, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    26. ↑ Miska, Brad (October 28, 2008). "Dowdle Brothers Team For Shyamalan's Devil". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
    27. ↑ Busis, Hillary (June 2, 2013). "After Earth: The funniest, meanest reviews". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    28. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 9, 2015). "The Visit: Review". Screen Daily . Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    29. ↑ Hidayat, Firhat (March 5, 2017). "Split (2016) — Not just an Ordinary Thriller Movie". Medium . Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    30. ↑ Edelstein, David (January 14, 2019). "M. Night Shyamalan's Glass Congeals on the Screen". Vulture . Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    31. ↑ McClintock, Pamela; Couch, Aaron (June 23, 2020). "Universal Sets M. Night Shyamalan's Next Movie for July 2021". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
    32. ↑ Dick, Jeremy (June 11, 2022). "M. Night Shyamalan Wraps Filming on Next Movie Knock at the Cabin". MovieWeb . Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
    33. ↑ Rajput, Priyanca (September 5, 2023). "Ishana Shyamalan's debut feature The Watchers wraps in Dublin". KFTV.com . Retrieved November 4, 2023.
    34. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 16, 2023). "M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros, Sets Trap At Studio". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
    35. ↑ Kroll, Justin (October 4, 2021). "M. Night Shyamalan's Blinding Edge Pictures To Produce Vanishings At Caddo Lake From Directing Duo Celine Held And Logan George". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 22, 2021.
    36. ↑ Dowling, Amber (April 30, 2015). "Wayward Pines: 'Where Paradise is Home' Review". IGN . Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    37. ↑ Weintraub, Steve (January 16, 2021). "M. Night Shyamalan on Servant, His 40-Episode Plan, and Future Movies". Collider . Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Roschke, Ryan (January 21, 2019). "9 M. Night Shyamalan Movie Cameos That Made Us Groan Into Our Popcorn". PopSugar . Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    39. ↑ Haque, Ahsan (July 9, 2007). "Entourage: 'Sorry, Harvey' Review". IGN . Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    40. ↑ Del Rosario, Alexandra (August 6, 2019). "The Cast of The Sixth Sense, Then and Now". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
    41. ↑ Fremont, Maggie (October 1, 2019). "This Is Us Recap: Pearson Family Fun Day". Vulture . Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    42. ↑ Siede, Caroline (January 28, 2020). "This Is Us asks us to put our faith in M. Night Shyamalan". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    43. ↑ Beasley, Tom (December 13, 2019). "M. Night Shyamalan on the burden of twist expectations and his Servant cameo (exclusive)". Yahoo! Movies . Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
    44. ↑ Desta, Yohana (July 23, 2021). "How M. Night Shyamalan's Old Updates the Graphic Novel Sandcastle" . Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
    45. ↑ Abdulbaki, Mae (February 6, 2023). "Where To Spot M. Night Shyamalan's Cameo In Knock At The Cabin". Screen Rant . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
    46. ↑ Papadopoulos, Charles (August 3, 2024). "M. Night Shyamalan's Cameo In Trap Explained". Screen Rant . Retrieved August 4, 2024.
    47. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
    48. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan". Metacritic . Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
    49. ↑ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore . Retrieved February 12, 2021. Each film's score can be accessed from the website's search bar.

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