Ishana Night Shyamalan is set to make her directorial debut with The Watchers, an adaptation of the A.M. Shine novel of the same name, according to Deadline. The project was acquired by New Line Cinema after a very demanded bid. Shyamalan had previously worked as a second unit director on films such as Old and the recently released Knock at the Cabin. She also found success as a screenwriter in Apple TV+'s science fiction show, Servant. The Watchers has been scheduled by New Line to hit theaters on June 7, 2024, with filming on the project set to begin later this year.
The novel is a horror adventure set in the remote forests of Galway, where humans are kept as pets by mysterious creatures. Mina is a young woman whose car breaks down when she gets close to the forest. After escaping the creatures, she remains inside a concrete bunker with other people that are kept in observation by the mysterious animals. It is up to her and the rest of the kidnapped people to figure out who the watchers are, and why they keep humans inside a cage. M. Night Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan will serve as producers for the upcoming horror film.
Ishana is the daughter of the Split filmmaker. After working as a second unit director on two of his films, she is ready to take the lead in the upcoming thriller. New Line, the distributors for the movie, are no strangers to horror projects. The studio was behind James Wan's Conjuring universe, which explored the lives of demonologists Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren, as they do their best at solving paranormal cases across the country. The franchise was extremely successful, spawning spin-offs such as the Annabelle films and The Nun.
What's Next for M. Night Shyamalan?
The filmmaker spoke with Collider's own Steven Weintraub recently, where he gave an update regarding his upcoming projects. Shyamalan said that he has three, very clear ideas for future movies and, while he wished he could deliver them to audiences quickly, he understands that he must take his time with each one. The director is not taking a break from work any time soon, as Universal has scheduled one of these original ideas to be released in theaters on April 5, 2024. If you enjoyed Knock at the Cabin, you won't have to wait long to find out what the director has in store.