Movies
M. Night Shyamalan to Produce, Instead of Direct?
M. Night Shyamalan is driving me crazy, I’m literally ready to pull my hair out over his endeavors. For years numerous reporters (myself included) have been saying that he’s an incredible director, but his screenplays are complete sh*t. It’s frustrating because he’s becoming one of the most wasted talents in the history of Hollywood – and now he’s taking all the negative reviews a little too personally and stepping away from the camera (although he’ll still be directing “The Last Airbender,” a live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon property). Read on for the story on his producing gig, which will result in one new thriller per year.
Media Rights Capital and M. Night Shyamalan have formed the Night Chronicles, a financing/production partnership intended to generate one thriller per year for three years.
Shyamalan will produce but not direct, marking the first time he will produce a film he didn’t write and helm. Shyamalan will create the stories and ideas for the films and pick the writers and directors; MRC will finance.
Shyamalan and MRC will co-own the copyrights and retain artistic control.
Two factors in particular attracted MRC to the filmmaker: Shyamalan typically generates more movie ideas than he can execute, since he writes, directs, produces and often acts in the films he makes. And he has a track record of bringing his films in on budget.
The new venture marks the first major deal for Tory Metzger since she left CAA to become prexy of MRC Films, and she expects that Shyamalan will be very hands-on with the Night Chronicles product.
“These films will be based on ideas in keeping with what has made Night so successful, and has made him unique to his time,” Metzger told Daily Variety. MRC will set up each project for distribution when Metzger and co-CEOs Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu feel it’s best for the film.The projects aren’t formalized, and no writers have yet been hired, but Shyamalan has at least two ideas that could become films. The Night Chronicles will be based near Philadelphia, where the filmmaker lives and works. To oversee development, MRC has hired Ashwin Rajan, a veteran UTA agent who is Shyamalan’s cousin.
The MRC deal is the second Shyamalan has made recently that gives him a copyright ownership stake. His pact with India-based entertainment company UTV on “The Happening” gave Shyamalan a 25% ownership stake in the negative; that inventive deal gave the director his usual upfront fee but traded his first-dollar gross participation for an ownership stake and 50% of the film’s revenue stream, once 20th Century Fox and UTV recouped budget and P&A costs.
While the film hasn’t performed as strongly as some of Shyamalan’s past hits, “The Happening” cost around $50 million and is about to cross $150 million in worldwide gross. Shyamalan is in Japan to promote the film’s opening there.
“Filmmakers have always been my inspiration,” Shyamalan said in a statement. “Working with the next wave of innovative filmmakers will teach me many things that I can bring to my own writing/directing and give my stories the opportunity to be brought to the screen in a stunning way.”
Shyamalan next directs “The Last Airbender,” a live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon property. Paramount has skedded the film for release on July 2, 2010.
MRC is in the midst of its most ambitious film slate since launching. The company has completed production on a half-dozen films ranging from the Robert Rodriguez-directed “Shorts” to “The Other Side of the Truth,” which Ricky Gervais co-wrote and co-directed with Matthew Robinson, and has a handful of projects in the pipeline.
MRC also recently launched its TV production slate that includes programming a Sunday-night primetime block for CW and has hatched digital projects that include an original animated series creation by “Family Guy’s” Seth MacFarlane that will be distributed by Google and YouTube.
Cosm, a leading immersive technology, media, and entertainment company, has been mastering the art of “experiential cinema” with recent releases including The Matrix, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and up next they’re tackling the horror genre by giving Andy Muschietti’s IT (2017) a Shared Reality experience.
Cosm and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced IT as Cosm’s next experiential cinema title. The New Line Cinema horror film based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel marks Cosm’s first-ever horror experience and will debut at Cosm venues on August 28, 2026!
The highest-grossing horror film of all time, IT (2017) captured audiences worldwide. Nearly a decade later, the classic film will captivate audiences once again and introduce an entirely new category of experiential horror thanks to a production collaboration between Cosm, Warner Bros. Pictures, Little Cinema, Double Dream (founded by IT filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti), and New Line Cinema (a label of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group).
The company previews, “Leveraging Cosm’s 87-foot-diameter, 12K+ LED domes and proprietary fulldome production technology, guests will be transported into the eerie woods, haunted sewers, and shadowy corners of Derry, Maine. Intensified sound design and dynamic environments will supplement the film beyond its original format, helping Cosm redefine the jump scare as guests come face-to-face with the haunting Pennywise.”
“Over the past year, we’ve seen experiential cinema in Shared Reality bring to life a fresh, exciting way for fans to interact with – and enter the worlds of – their favorite films,” said Alexis Scalice, Vice President of Business Development and Entertainment at Cosm. “Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Double Dream, and Little Cinema have all been incredible partners to help deliver IT as Cosm’s fourth film in Shared Reality.
“Together, we are taking horror beyond the frame, creating an immersive experience to deliver thrills unlike anything fans have experienced before.”
“After the incredible audience response to our previous Shared Reality presentations, we’re excited to continue this ongoing collaboration with Cosm and Little Cinema by bringing IT to this immersive format,” said Jeff Goldstein, President of Global Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures. “Each project has pushed the boundaries of how audiences experience these iconic films, and IT offers a uniquely thrilling opportunity to further that vision – delivering a bold, sensory-rich way to engage with one of the most memorable New Line titles in the Warner Bros. Library.”
“Each title we’ve brought to Shared Reality together has taught us something new about how stories can wrap around an audience,” added Jay Rinsky, Chief Creative Officer at Little Cinema. “IT teaches us fear, and we’re treating every shadow, every silence, and every red balloon as a chance to invent something the medium hasn’t seen yet. It’s been a privilege to evolve this format alongside entertainment pioneers such as Cosm, Warner Bros., and Double Dream.”
Cosm’s growing portfolio of Hollywood and Blockbuster IP provides Cosm guests across the world with a year-round slate of experiential cinema programming. IT will premiere at Cosm Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta on August 28, 2026, and will debut at Cosm Detroit at a later date.
Learn more on Cosm’s official website and stay tuned for additional details.
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