Want to know a truly surprising twist I experienced at the movies in 2017? It was realizing that I could once again really enjoy an M. Night Shyamalan movie. When he released ‘Split‘ in January it took audiences, critics and yours truly by surprise. It was a real return to form for the director of ‘The Sixth Sense’ & ‘Signs’, mainly because it was literally a return to form for him. The end of the film reveals to all that the characters of Kevin/The Beast (James McAvoy) & Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) actually exist in the same universe as Bruce Willis‘ character from ‘Unbreakable’, David Dunn. It’s the start of the Unbreakable Cinematic Universe; a UCU if you will.
Given the huge success of ‘Split‘ it came a little surprise when Shyamalan announced his next film would be story that ties his two quasi superhero films together. The film will be called ‘Glass‘ and will star Willis, McAvoy, Taylor-Joy & Samuel L. Jackson who will be returning to the world as his character from ‘Unbreakable‘, the titular Mr. Glass/Elijah Price. The film will once again be produced by Jason Blum and is scheduled for release in January 2019. Here is your official synopsis for the film.
From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast.
Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
Sounds awesome if you ask me, and exactly what I want to see. The ending of ‘Split‘ was one of my favorite cinematic experiences this year and the movie is a lot of fun. It’s clear Shyamalan has shaken off both the critical beatings he took over the late 2000’s & early 2010’s, as well as the (self applied) pressure of being the next Spielberg. He is now making exactly the kind of films he wants for his fans who want to see them. This fan service trilogy might not be the highest aspiration of art, but it makes for a damn good time at the multiplex.
