M. Night Shyamalan: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox actor
{{Short description|American filmmaker and actor}}
| image =M. Night Shyamalan.jpg
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| imagesize = 220px
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
| caption = M. Night Shyamalan, 2008
{{Infobox person
| birthname = Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan
| name              = M. Night Shyamalan
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1970|8|6}}
| image             = M. Night Shyamalan by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| birth_place = [[Mahé, India|Mahé]], [[Puducherry]], [[India]]<ref name=bio>{{cite news|url= http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2009/feb/20need-for-a-dev-patel-in-the-life-of-pi.htm|title= The need for a Dev Patel in the Life of Pi|date= 2009-02-20|work=[[Rediff]]}}</ref>
|alt=Shyamalan smiling
| occupation = [[Film director]], [[film producer|producer]], [[screenwriter]] and [[actor]]
| caption           = Shyamalan in 2016
| spouse = Bhavna Vaswani (1993-Present)
| birth_name        = Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan
|website=http://www.mnightshyamalan.com
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1970|8|6}}
| birth_place       = [[Mahe, India|Mahé]], [[Puducherry (union territory)|Pondicherry]], India
| alma_mater        = [[New York University]]
| nationality        = American<ref name=bio2 />
| occupation        = {{hlist|Filmmaker|actor}}
| years_active      = 1992–present
| works              = [[M. Night Shyamalan filmography|Full list]]
| spouse            = {{marriage|Bhavna Vaswani|1992}}
| children          = 3, including [[Saleka]]
| awards            = [[List of awards and nominations received by M. Night Shyamalan|Full list]]
| honors            = [[Padma Shri]] (2008)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/padma-shri-brings-night-to-town/articleshow/3019932.cms|title=Padma Shri brings Night to town &#124; India News – Times of India|website=The Times of India|date=May 8, 2008 }}</ref>
}}
}}
'''Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan''' ({{pron-en|ˈʃɑːməlɑːn}}; മനോജ്‌ നെല്ലിയാട്ടു ശ്യാമളന്‍, Mitur Ben Es-Derti {{lang-ta|மனோஜ் நெல்லியட்டு ஷ்யாமளன்}},'''Latin English''': ''Maṉōj Nelliyāṯṯu Ṣiyāmaḷaṉ'', born 6 August 1970),<!--no middle name ''yet'', per the Michael Bamberger book ''The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale'' (Gotham Books, New York, 2006), p. 17--> known professionally as '''M. Night Shyamalan''', is an [[United States|American]] filmmaker and [[screenwriter]] who resides and works primarily in the United States. He is known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that climax with a [[twist ending]]. Some of his notable movies are ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' (1999), ''[[Unbreakable (movie)|Unbreakable]]'' (2000), ''[[Signs (movie)|Signs]]'' (2002), ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]'' (2004), ''[[Lady in the Water]]'' (2006), ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]'' (2008) and ''[[The Last Airbender]]'' (2010). He is also known for filming his movies (and staging his plots) in and around [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], where he was raised.
 
'''Manoj Nelliyattu {{nobold|"}}M. Night{{nobold|"}} Shyamalan'''<!--no middle name ''yet'', per the Michael Bamberger book ''The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale'' (Gotham Books, New York, 2006), p. 17--><ref name=bio2>{{cite book|title=The Philadelphia Reader|year=2006|url=https://archive.org/details/philadelphiaread00hube|url-access=limited|last1=Huber|first1=Robert|last2=Wallace|first2=Benjamin|publisher=[[Temple University Press]]|quote=Then [Shyamalan] changed his name. The idea came when he was applying for American citizenship at age 18.|page=[https://archive.org/details/philadelphiaread00hube/page/n208 197]}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|ɑː|m|ə|l|ɑː|n}} {{respell|SHAH|mə|lahn}};<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/organization/standards-guidelines/qrst/#s|title=NLS: Say How, Q-T|publisher=[[Library of Congress]]|access-date=April 20, 2017}}</ref> born August 6, 1970)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2012/08/03/monitor-august-10-2012|title=Monitor|newspaper=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=August 10, 2012|issue=1219|pages=27}}</ref> is an Indian-American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for making original films with contemporary [[supernatural fiction|supernatural plots]] and [[plot twist|twist endings]]. He was born in [[Mahé, India|Mahé]], India, and raised in [[Penn Valley, Pennsylvania|Penn Valley]], [[Pennsylvania]]. The cumulative gross of his films exceeds $3.4 billion globally.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/m-night-shyamalan-next-movie-knock-at-the-cabin-1235031204/|title=M. Night Shyamalan's Next Movie Gets a Title: 'Knock at the Cabin'|date=October 13, 2021|first=Pamela|last=McClintock|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
 
His early films include ''[[Praying with Anger]]'' (1992) and ''[[Wide Awake (1998 film)|Wide Awake]]'' (1998) before his breakthrough film ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' (1999), which earned him [[Academy Award]] nominations for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]. He then released ''[[Unbreakable (film)|Unbreakable]]'' (2000), ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]'' (2002) and ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]'' (2004). Following a period of setbacks which include several poorly received films like ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]'' (2008), ''[[The Last Airbender (2010 film)|The Last Airbender]]'' (2010), and ''[[After Earth]]'' (2013), he found a career resurgence with the films ''[[The Visit (2015 American film)|The Visit]]'' (2015), ''[[Split (2016 American film)|Split]]'' (2016), ''[[Glass (2019 film)|Glass]]'' (2019), ''[[Old (film)|Old]]'' (2021), and ''[[Knock at the Cabin]]'' (2023).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Old|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt10954652/|access-date=November 9, 2021|website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
 
He is also one of the executive producers and occasional director of the [[20th Television]] [[science fiction]] series ''[[Wayward Pines]]'' (2015–2016) and the [[Apple TV+]] [[psychological horror]] series ''[[Servant (TV series)|Servant]]'' (2019–present), for which he also serves as the [[showrunner]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/m-night-shyamalan-servant-11642019127|title=M. Night Shyamalan on Impostor Syndrome and His Old-School Film Techniques|first=Chris|last=Kornelis|date=January 12, 2022|access-date=January 15, 2022|website=Wsj.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/festival/awards-and-juries/international-jury.html|title=The Prizes of the International Jury|website=Berlinale.de|access-date=January 15, 2022}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Shyamalan was born in a [[Hindu]] household in [[Mahé, India|Mahé]], [[Puducherry]], [[India]].<ref name=bio /><ref>Bamberger, Michael. ''The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale'' (Gotham Books, New York, 2006), p. 150.</ref> His father, Nelliate C. Shyamalan is a [[Malayali]] traditional physician ([[Vaidyar]]) from Mahé. His mother, Jayalakshmi is [[Tamil people|Tamil]] and is an [[Obstetrics and gynecology|obstetrician and gynecologist]] by profession.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chennaionline.com/columns/variety/variety9.asp |title=Chennai Online |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209040153/http://archives.chennaionline.com/columns/variety/variety9.asp |archivedate=2009-02-09}}</ref>
Shyamalan was born in [[Mahé, India|Mahé]], [[India]] to ethnic Indian parents in a town in the [[Union territory|Union Territory]] of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Pondicherry]].<ref name=bio>{{Cite news|url= http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2009/feb/20need-for-a-dev-patel-in-the-life-of-pi.htm|title= The need for a Dev Patel in the Life of Pi|date= February 20, 2009|work=[[Rediff.com]] | archive-date= March 4, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100320/http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2009/feb/20need-for-a-dev-patel-in-the-life-of-pi.htm}}</ref><ref>Bamberger, Michael. ''The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale''.(Gotham Books, New York, 2006), p.&nbsp;150.</ref> His father, Dr. Nelliyattu C. Shyamalan, is a [[Malayali]] neurologist from Mahé and a [[Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research|JIPMER]] graduate;{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} his mother, Dr. Jayalakshmi, a [[Tamils|Tamil]], is an [[Obstetrics and gynaecology|OB-GYN]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mnight.com/bio.html|title=Biography – M. Night Shyamalan Online|website=Mnight.com|access-date=October 22, 2017}}</ref> <!-- In the 1960s, after medical school (at the [[Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research]] in [[Pondicherry (city)|Pondicherry]]) and the birth of their first child, Veena, his parents moved to the United States. His mother returned to India to spend the last five months of her second pregnancy at her parents' home in [[Chennai]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2016}} -->
 
Shyamalan's parents immigrated to the United States when he was six weeks old.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-01 |title=M Night Shyamalan American Filmmaker |url=https://www.globalindian.com/story/filmmaker/m-night-shyamalan-the-indian-american-director/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=The Global Indian}}</ref>  Shyamalan was raised in [[Penn Valley, Pennsylvania]]. Shyamalan was raised [[Hindus|Hindu]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2001008,00.html|title=10 Questions for M. Night Shyamalan|first=M. Night|last=Shyamalan|date=July 12, 2010|magazine=Time}}</ref> He attended the private [[Catholic school|Roman Catholic grammar school]] [[Waldron Mercy Academy]], followed by the [[Episcopal Academy]], a private [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] [[High school (North America)|high school]] located at the time in [[Merion Station, Pennsylvania]]. He felt like an outsider and remembers that teachers would say that whoever was not baptized would go to hell.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite magazine|last=Farley |first=Christopher |url= http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,998594,00.html |title=Cinema: A New Day Dawns For Night|magazine=Time |date=November 27, 2000 |access-date=April 4, 2021}}</ref> When he was a student there, a teacher once became upset because he "got the best grade and [he] wasn't Catholic".<ref name="auto2"/> Shyamalan earned the [[New York University]] Merit Scholarship in 1988, and was also a [[National Merit Scholarship Program|National Merit Scholar]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Edelstein |first=David |url= https://nymag.com/movies/reviews/17661/ |title=M. Narcissus Shyamalan|website=New York Magazine |date=July 16, 2006 |access-date=July 23, 2012}}</ref> Shyamalan is an alumnus of [[New York University Tisch School of the Arts]] in [[Manhattan]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://about.tisch.nyu.edu/page/deanMessage.html |publisher=about.tisch.nyu.edu |title= Dean's Message}}</ref> graduating in 1992. It was while studying there that he adopted "Night" as his second name.
 
Shyamalan had an early desire to be a filmmaker when he was given a [[Super 8 film|Super 8]] camera at a young age. Though his father wanted him to follow in the family practice of medicine, his mother encouraged him to follow his passion. By the time he was seventeen, he had made forty-five home movies.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} On each DVD release of his films, beginning with ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' and with the exception of ''[[Lady in the Water]]'', he has included a scene from one of these childhood movies, which, he feels, represents his first attempt at the same kind of film.{{Citation needed|date=July 2016}}
 
==Career==
===Film===
[[File:M. Night Shyamalan 2008 - still 40580 crop.jpg|thumb|Shyamalan at a press conference<br />for ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]'' in 2008.]]
Shyamalan made his first film, the semi-autobiographical [[drama]] ''[[Praying with Anger]]'', while still a student at NYU, using money borrowed from family and friends.<ref>Bamberger, Ibid., p. 19.</ref> He wrote and directed his second movie, ''[[Wide Awake (1998 film)|Wide Awake]]''. His parents were the film's [[Film producer#Associate producer or assistant producer|associate producers]]. The drama dealt with a ten-year-old Catholic schoolboy ([[Joseph Michael Cross|Joseph Cross]]) who, after the death of his grandfather ([[Robert Loggia]]), searches for God. The film's supporting cast included [[Dana Delany]] and [[Denis Leary]] as the boy's parents, as well as [[Rosie O'Donnell]], [[Julia Stiles]], and [[Camryn Manheim]]. ''Wide Awake'' was filmed in a school Shyamalan attended as a child<ref>[http://www.answers.com/topic/m-night-shyamalan Answers.com] – Wide Awake.</ref> and earned 1999 [[Young Artist Award]] nominations for Best Drama, and, for Cross, Best Performance.<ref>[http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms20.htm Young Artists Award] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907122639/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms20.htm |date= September 7, 2013 }} – Past Nominations Listing.</ref> Only in limited release, the film grossed $305,704 in theaters, against a $6 million budget.<ref>[https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1998/WIDEA.php The Numbers] – Wide Awake Box Office Data.</ref>
 
That same year Shyamalan co-wrote the screenplay for ''[[Stuart Little (film)|Stuart Little]]'' with [[Greg Brooker (screenwriter)|Greg Brooker]]. In 2013, he revealed he was the [[ghostwriter]] for the 1999 film ''[[She's All That]]'', a teen comedy starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/film/m-night-shyamalan-reveals-he-ghost-wrote-she-s-all-880451#3SYmDvZof510xWCG.99|title=M Night Shyamalan reveals he ghost-wrote 'She's All That' | work=NME|date=June 11, 2013|first=Jamie|last=Crossan|access-date=July 16, 2018 }}</ref> On June 17, 2013, Jack Lechner (who served as Miramax's head of development in the late 1990s) confirmed that both Shyamalan and R. Lee Fleming, Jr. contributed to the script: Fleming wrote the initial script that Miramax bought while Shyamalan did an uncredited rewrite (doing more than "a polish") that got the film green-lit. Lechner reiterated that content from both writers was included in the final cut of the film.<ref name="auto">{{Cite magazine |date=June 17, 2013 |first=Hillary |last=Busis |title=M. Night Shyamalan and 'She's All That': Did he really write it? |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/06/17/m-night-shyamalan-shes-all-that/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=January 24, 2021}}</ref>
 
Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'', starring [[Bruce Willis]], and which became the second-highest grossing horror movie of all time.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bean |first1=Travis |title=The Highest-Grossing Horror Movies Of All Time |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbean/2019/10/03/the-highest-grossing-horror-movies-of-all-time/#6def8a68e4d3 |website=Forbes |date=October 3, 2019}}</ref> ''The Sixth Sense'' was nominated for six Academy Awards, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and [[Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]].
 
In July 2000, on ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'', Shyamalan said he had met with Spielberg and was in early talks to write the script for the [[Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull|fourth ''Indiana Jones'' film]]. This would have given Shyamalan a chance to work with his longtime idol.<ref>[http://www.premiere.com/movienews/3372/indiana-jones-and-the-curse-of-development-hell-page2.html Premiere.com – "Indiana Jones and the Curse of Development Hell", By Ann Donahue] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070618165401/http://www.premiere.com/movienews/3372/indiana-jones-and-the-curse-of-development-hell-page2.html |date=June 18, 2007 }}.</ref> After the film fell through, Shyamalan later said it was too "tricky" to arrange and "not the right thing" for him to do.<ref>''Science Fiction Weekly'', {{issue|date=March 2013}}</ref>
 
Shyamalan followed ''The Sixth Sense'' by writing and directing ''[[Unbreakable (film)|Unbreakable]]'' (2000), again starring Willis, a stealth superhero film within a thriller which was both critically and financially successful.
 
Shyamalan's name was linked with the 2001 film ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'', but it conflicted with the production of ''Unbreakable''. In July 2006, while doing press tours for ''Lady in the Water'', Shyamalan had said he was still interested in directing one of the last two ''Harry Potter'' films: "The themes that run through it&nbsp;... the empowering of children, a positive outlook&nbsp;... you name it, it falls in line with my beliefs", Shyamalan said. "I enjoy the humor in it. When I read the first ''Harry Potter'' and was thinking about making it, I had a whole different vibe in my head of it".<ref>Otto, Jeff (July 14, 2006). [http://movies.ign.com/articles/718/718799p1.html "Potter in the Water? Shyamalan interested in magical franchise"]. IGN.</ref>
 
His next film, ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]'', where he also played Ray Reddy, was released in 2002. The film stars [[Mel Gibson]] as a former [[Priest#Anglican or Episcopalian|Episcopalian priest]] who regains his faith in God during an alien invasion. It was both critically and financially successful and grossed $408 million from a budget of $72 million.
 
Shyamalan next directed ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]'' (2004), about an isolated community living in the woods. Although it received mixed reviews, it was financially successful as it grossed $257 million from a budget of $60 million.
 
[[File:Night Shyamalan-2.jpg|thumb|left|M. Night Shyamalan and [[Bryce Dallas Howard]] at the Spanish premiere of ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]'' (in the [[San Sebastián International Film Festival]], 2006).]]
 
After the release of ''The Village'' in 2004, Shyamalan had been planning a film adaptation of Yann Martel's novel ''[[Life of Pi]]'' with 20th Century Fox, but later backed out so that he could make ''Lady in the Water''. In an interview he said about his reasons for dropping out of that project:<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Schwartz |first=Missy |title=Catching up with M. Night Shyamalan at Tribeca |url=https://ew.com/article/2006/05/03/catching-m-night-shyamalan-tribeca/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=December 5, 2019 |date=May 3, 2006}}</ref>
{{Blockquote
|text=I love that book. I mean, it's basically [the story of] a kid born in the same city as me [Pondicherry, India] — it almost felt predestined. But I was hesitant because the book has kind of a twist ending. And I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience. Whereas if someone else did it, it would be much more satisfying, I think. Expectations, you've got to be aware of them. I'm wishing them all great luck. I hope they make a beautiful movie.
}}
 
Released in 2006, ''[[Lady in the Water]]'', a bedtime story about a water nymph and an apartment superintendent, was both critically and financially unsuccessful, only grossing $72 million worldwide from a budget of $70 million.
 
Next was the film ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]'', a B-movie about trees killing humans, featuring a teacher Elliott Moore and his wife fleeing from contaminated cities into the countryside. It was critically unsuccessful but financially successful as it grossed $163 million from a budget of $48 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://film.avclub.com/was-the-happening-supposed-to-be-taken-seriously-1798243486|title = Was the Happening supposed to be taken seriously?|website=Film.avclub.com| date=January 26, 2016 }}</ref>
 
In 2010, he directed ''[[The Last Airbender (2010 film)|The Last Airbender]]'', based on [[Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 1)|the first season]] of the [[Nickelodeon]] TV series ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''. It was critically unsuccessful—with significant criticism aimed at its casting of white actors in Asian and Native American-inspired roles, yet was a financial success, grossing $319 million from a budget of $150 million.
 
In July 2008, it was announced that Shyamalan had partnered with [[Media Rights Capital]] to form a production company called Night Chronicles. Shyamalan would produce, but not direct, one film a year for three years.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117989271.html?categoryid=1237&cs=1 | work=Variety | title=Night falls for Media Rights | first=Michael | last=Fleming | date=July 21, 2008}}</ref> The first of the three films was ''[[Devil (2010 film)|Devil]]'', a supernatural thriller directed by siblings [[John Erick Dowdle|John]] and Drew Dowdle. The script was written by [[Brian Nelson (screenwriter)|Brian Nelson]], based on an original idea from Shyamalan.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117994794.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=shyamalan|title=MRC, Shyamalan dance with 'Devil'|access-date=January 3, 2009 | work=Variety | first=Michael | last=Fleming | date=October 28, 2008}}</ref> The movie was about a group of people stuck in an elevator with the devil, and starred [[Chris Messina (actor)|Chris Messina]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.newsinfilm.com/2009/10/19/details-on-shyamalan-story-devil/|title=Details on Shyamalan Story 'Devil'|access-date=October 19, 2009}}</ref> The film was not previewed by critics before its release.
 
In 2013, Shyamalan directed the film ''[[After Earth]]'', based on a script by [[Gary Whitta]] and starring [[Will Smith]] and [[Jaden Smith]]. It was received poorly by critics, and was financially unsuccessful. Shyamalan later described his thinking in 2013 as full of doubts, introspection and questioning.{{r|hiatt20181220}}
 
Shyamalan announced in January 2014 that he would be working again with [[Bruce Willis]] on a film titled ''Labor of Love''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/01/berlin-sixth-senses-m-night-shyamalan-bruce-willis-re-team-for-labor-of-love-673107/|title=M. Night Shyamalan And Bruce Willis Re-Team For 'Labor Of Love'|date=January 29, 2014|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.}}</ref> As of March 2022, and the retirement of Willis, this film had yet to be produced.
 
Shyamalan's reputation was poor and most Hollywood studios passed on his self-funded, low-budget horror-comedy ''[[The Visit (2015 American film)|The Visit]]'', featuring a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip. After revising the film,{{r|hiatt20181220}} which Shyamalan had shot in secret, Universal picked up rights to ''The Visit''. The movie went on to gross $98 million worldwide on a budget of $5 million<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nash |first1=Bruce |title=The Numbers – The Visit |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Visit-The-(2015)#tab=summary |website=The Numbers |publisher=Nash Information Services |access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref> – the fifth-highest grossing thriller film of the year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nash |first1=Bruce |title=Box Office Performance for Thriller/Suspense Movies in 2015 |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/market/2015/genre/Thriller-or-Suspense |website=The Numbers |publisher=Nash Information Services |access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref><ref name=Visitline>{{cite web|last1=Fleming| first1=Mike Jr. |title=Universal Slots 'The Visit', M. Night Shyamalan's Secret Thriller|url=https://deadline.com/2014/11/m-night-shyamalan-the-visit-jason-blum-universal-1201282508/|website=Deadline|date=November 12, 2014|access-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref> Universal released the movie on September 11, 2015.<ref name=Visitline/>
 
In 2017, Shyamalan released the movie ''[[Split (2016 American film)|Split]]''. It was both critically and financially successful and grossed $279 million from a budget of $9 million.<ref name="unbreakable-franchise">{{cite web |title=Unbreakable Franchise Box Office History |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Unbreakable#tab=summary |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]}}</ref>
 
In 2019, he released ''[[Glass (2019 film)|Glass]]'' as the final installment in his 19-year trilogy inclusive of previous films ''Unbreakable'' and ''Split''. The movie grossed over $247 million worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |author=f|title=Glass – Box office gross |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1518241281/?ref_=bo_di_table_285 |website=Box Office Mojo |publisher=IMDBPro}}</ref><ref name="unbreakable-franchise" />
 
M. Night Shyamalan's film, ''[[Old (film)|Old]]'', a thriller about tourists who begin aging rapidly on a mysterious beach, was shot in [[Dominican Republic]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 16, 2020|title=M. Night Shyamalan wraps up shooting his upcoming film in the DR|url=https://filmingindominicanrepublic.com/news/m-night-shyamalan-wraps-up-shooting-of-his-upcoming-film-old-in-the-dr/|access-date=May 13, 2021|website=Filming Dominican Republic|language=en-US}}</ref> and released on July 23, 2021. The film stars [[Gael Garcia Bernal]], [[Eliza Scanlen]], [[Thomasin McKenzie]], [[Aaron Pierre (actor)|Aaron Pierre]], [[Alex Wolff]], [[Abbey Lee]], [[Nikki Amuka-Bird]], [[Ken Leung]], [[Vicky Krieps]], [[Rufus Sewell]], [[Embeth Davidtz]], Alexa Swinton, Nolan River, and [[Emun Elliott]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|date=June 23, 2020|title=M. Night Shyamalan Thriller Gets 2021 Release Date|url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/m-night-shyamalan-movie-release-date-2021-1202967664/|access-date=June 24, 2020|website=Deadline|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/gael-garcia-bernal-m-night-shyamalan-movie-cast-1202989221/|title=Gael García Bernal Joins M. Night Shyamalan's Next Film|first=Justin|last=Kroll|website=Deadline.com|date=July 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/rufus-sewell-embeth-davidtz-and-emun-elliot-m-night-shymalans-1203018823/|title=Rufus Sewell, Embeth Davidtz & Emun Elliott Round Out Cast of M. Night Shyamalan's Next Film|first=Justin|last=Kroll|website=Deadline.com|date=August 20, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Shyamalan|first=M. Night|title=Old|date=July 21, 2021|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10954652/|type=Thriller|others=Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Thomasin McKenzie, Rufus Sewell|publisher=Universal Pictures, Blinding Edge Pictures|access-date=May 13, 2021}}</ref> The film received mixed reviews from critics.
 
In October 2021, Shyamalan announced that his next film ''[[Knock at the Cabin]]'' would be released in cinemas on February 3, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/m-night-shyamalan-knock-at-the-cabin-new-release-date-title-revealed-1234855706/|title=M. Night Shyamalan's Next Universal Pic Gets New Release Date & Official Title|work=Deadline|first1=Bruce|last1=Haring|date=October 14, 2021|access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> In February 2023, it was revealed Shyamalan's next film, titled ''Trap'', would be released in theatres on August 2, 2024 by [[Warner Bros. Pictures]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 16, 2023|url=https://deadline.com/2023/02/m-night-shyamalan-warner-bros-deal-1235262667/|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|access-date=February 17, 2023|title=M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros, Sets 'Trap' At Studio|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref>
 
===Television===
Shyamalan is the executive producer on the Apple TV series ''[[Servant (TV series)|Servant]]''. Shyamalan directed several episodes, including the pilot. ''Servant'' was renewed for a second series in advance of the season one premiere.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Otterson |first1=Joe |title='Servant' Renewed for Season 2 at Apple Ahead of Series Premiere |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/servant-renewed-season-2-apple-1203413812/ |website=Variety |date=November 23, 2019 |publisher=Penske Entertainment |access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref> The second season of ''Servant'' completed filming in fall 2020 under COVID protocols.<ref>{{Cite web|title=M. Night Shyamalan reveals title and poster for mysterious new movie as filming begins|url=https://ew.com/movies/m-night-shyamalan-reveals-title-poster-old/|access-date=October 1, 2020|website=EW.com|language=EN}}</ref>
 
Shyamalan was also instrumental in the creation of the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] science fiction series ''[[Wayward Pines]]'' (2015–2016), for which he executive produced and directed the pilot episode. The series became the most-watched show of that summer.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Robinson |first1=Joanna |title=The Most-Watched TV Show of the Summer May Surprise You |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/07/most-watched-summer-tv-2015 |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=July 15, 2015 |access-date=November 20, 2019}}</ref>
 
In 2016, TNT first announced that Shyamalan would be responsible for a reboot series for ''Tales from the Crypt''. {{as of|2017|June|}} the series had been cancelled due to a number of legal reasons.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barsanti |first1=Sam |title=M. Night Shyamalan's Tales From The Crypt reboot is going to stay buried |url=https://news.avclub.com/m-night-shyamalans-tales-from-the-crypt-reboot-is-goin-1830866853 |website=AV Club |date=December 4, 2018}}</ref>
 
He also appeared in an episode of the series ''[[Entourage (American TV series)|Entourage]]''.
 
===Production company===
Shyamalan's production company, [[Blinding Edge Pictures]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnightshyamalan.com/legal.htm |title=Legal |publisher=M. Night Shyamalan official site |access-date=April 1, 2015 |archive-date=December 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223170639/http://www.mnightshyamalan.com/legal.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> is located in [[Berwyn, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowpages.com/berwyn-pa/mip/blinding-edge-pictures-462652045|title=Blinding Edge Pictures |publisher=YellowPages.com |access-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref> Blinding Edge has produced ''[[Servant (TV series)|Servant]]'', ''[[Wayward Pines]]'', ''[[Devil (2010 film)|Devil]]'', ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]'', ''[[Lady in the Water]]'', ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]'', ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]'', ''[[Unbreakable (film)|Unbreakable]]'', ''[[The Last Airbender (2010 film)|The Last Airbender]]'', ''[[After Earth]]'', ''[[The Visit (2015 American film)|The Visit]]'', ''[[Split (2016 American film)|Split]]'', ''[[Glass (2019 film)|Glass]]'' and ''[[Old (film)|Old]]''. It is run by Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan.<ref>{{cite press release| url= http://www.blastr.com/2012/08/m_night_shyamalan_comes_t.php | title=Syfy, Marti Noxon, M. Night Shyamalan and Universal Cable Productions Team for Proof Pilot | publisher= [[Syfy]] | date= August 3, 2012| access-date= April 1, 2015 | archive-date=July 23, 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130723233424/http://www.blastr.com/2012/08/m_night_shyamalan_comes_t.php | url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2023, the company signed a multi-year first-look deal with [[Warner Bros.]], among them the Shyamalan-directed ''Trap'', set for a theatrical release on August 2, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=February 16, 2023|title=M. Night Shyamalan Sets Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros., Sets 'Trap' At Studio|url=https://deadline.com/2023/02/m-night-shyamalan-warner-bros-deal-1235262667/|access-date=March 5, 2023|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref>
 
==Books==
While working on his film ''The Happening'', Shyamalan developed an interest in improving the delivery of education in American schools. He hired doctoral student James Richardson to do most of the background research and as a result published ''I Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America's Education Gap.''<ref>''I Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America's Education Gap,'' Simon and Schuster, 2013, {{ISBN|978-1-4767-1645-9}}</ref> John Willol of [[NPR]] reviewed the book by stating "''I Got Schooled'' is a breezily written, research driven call to change America's approach to education. Shyamalan is smart and sincere, and his innovative ideas are unbound by the educational establishment."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/09/12/221409659/filmmaker-turns-to-education-reform-gets-schooled |title=Filmmaker Turns To Education Reform, Gets 'Schooled' |work=NPR |last=Wilwol |first=John |date=September 12, 2013 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==Personal life==
Shyamalan married Bhavna Vaswani, a fellow student whom he met at [[New York University]].<ref>{{cite news| work = [[The Christian Science Monitor]]| date=July 28, 2004| url = http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0728/p15s01-almo.html | title= A Different Take| first= Stephen |last=Humphries | archive-date= January 2, 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150102053139/http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0728/p15s01-almo.html | url-status=live}}</ref> The couple have three daughters, including director Ishana and musician [[Saleka]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Colman|first1=David|title=M. Night Shyamalan's Pennsylvania Estate|url=http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/m-night-shyamalan-philadelphia-home-article|access-date=June 2, 2016|magazine=Architectural Digest|date=May 31, 2012| archive-date= June 2, 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160602222110/http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/m-night-shyamalan-philadelphia-home-article| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ishana">{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ishana-shyamalan-to-direct-movie-1235304250/ |last=Crouch |first=Aaron |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=2023-02-14 |accessdate=2023-02-15 |lang=en-US |title=Ishana Night Shyamalan to Make Feature Directorial Debut with 'The Watchers' for New Line}}</ref> His cousin is actor [[Ritesh Rajan]].
 
Shyamalan and his family live near Philadelphia at Ravenwood, a 125-acre estate, built around a 27,000-square-foot 1937 [[Georgian Revival]] house.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/m-night-shyamalan-philadelphia-home-slideshow|title=Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's 1930s Pennsylvania Estate|first=David|last=Colman|website=Architectural Digest|date=June 2016|accessdate=February 18, 2022}}</ref>
 
Shyamalan is a season ticket holder of the [[Philadelphia 76ers]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 26, 2016 |title=M. Night Shyamalan Is Attending Sixers Opener With Connor Barwin |work=[[CBS Philadelphia]] |url=http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/10/26/m-night-shyamalan-sixers-opener-connor-barwin/ |access-date=January 14, 2023}}</ref>


==Movies==
==Filmography==
{{Main article|M. Night Shyamalan filmography}}
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-  style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
|+Directed features
! Year
! Year
! Film
! Title
! [[Film director|Director]]
! Distributor
! [[Film producer|Producer]]
|-
! [[Screenwriter|Writer]]
| 1992
! [[Actor]]
| ''[[Praying with Anger]]''
! Role
| [[Cinevistaas Limited]]
! Notes
|-
|-
|[[1992 in film|1992]]
| 1998
|''[[Praying with Anger]]''
| ''[[Wide Awake (1998 film)|Wide Awake]]''
|{{yes}}
| [[Miramax Films]]
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|Dev Raman
|
|-
|-
|[[1998 in film|1998]]
| 1999
|''[[Wide Awake (1998 film)|Wide Awake]]''
| ''[[The Sixth Sense]]''
|{{yes}}
| rowspan=4 | [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures]]
|
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[1999 in film|1999]]
| 2000
|''[[The Sixth Sense]]''
| ''[[Unbreakable (film)|Unbreakable]]''
|{{yes}}
|
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|Dr. Hill
|
|-
|-
|''[[Stuart Little (movie)|Stuart Little]]''
| 2002
|
| ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]''
|
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|-
|-
|[[2000 in film|2000]]
| 2004
|''[[Unbreakable (movie)|Unbreakable]]''
| ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|Stadium [[drug dealer]]
|
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[2002 in film|2002]]
| 2006
|''[[Signs (movie)|Signs]]''
| ''[[Lady in the Water]]''
|{{yes}}
| [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|Ray Reddy
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Four Feathers (2002 movie)|The Four Feathers]]''
| 2008
|
| ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]''
|{{yes}}
| [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]]
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
|[[2004 in film|2004]]
| 2010
|''[[The Village (2004 movie)|The Village]]''
| ''[[The Last Airbender]]''
|{{yes}}
| [[Paramount Pictures]]
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|Jay (Guard at desk)
|
|-
|-
|[[2006 in film|2006]]
| 2013
|''[[Lady in the Water]]''
| ''[[After Earth]]''
|{{yes}}
| [[Sony Pictures Releasing]]
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|Vick Ran/The Vessel
|
|-
|-
|[[2008 in film|2008]]
| 2015
|''[[The Happening (2008 movie)|The Happening]]''
| ''[[The Visit (2015 American film)|The Visit]]''
|{{yes}}
| rowspan=5 | [[Universal Pictures]]
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|Joey
|[[Voice actor|Voice]]
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[2010 in film|2010]]
| 2016
|''[[The Last Airbender]]''
| ''[[Split (2016 American film)|Split]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|Firebender at Earth Prison Camp
|
|-
|-
|''[[Devil (2010 film)|Devil]]''
| 2019
|
| ''[[Glass (2019 film)|Glass]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|Only credited for story concept; not screenplay
|-
|-
|[[2013 in film|2013]]
| 2021
|''[[After Earth]]''
| ''[[Old (film)|Old]]''
|{{yes}}
|
|{{yes}}
|
|
|2015
|''[[The Visit]]''  
|-
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Knock at the Cabin]]''
|-
| 2024
| ''Trap''<ref>[https://deadline.com/2023/02/m-night-shyamalan-warner-bros-deal-1235262667/ M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros, Sets ‘Trap’ At Studio]</ref>
|Warner Bros. Pictures
|}
|}


===Other projects===
==Critical analysis and box-office performance==
''Rolling Stone'' wrote that ''The Sixth Sense'' gave Shyamalan the reputation of, "the guy who makes the scary movies with a twist".<ref name="hiatt20181220">{{Cite magazine |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |date=December 20, 2018 |title=The Fall and Rise of M. Night Shyamalan |url=https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-fall-and-rise-of-m-night-shyamalan |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> In 2008, Shyamalan said it was a common misperception that "all my movies have twist endings, or that they're all scary. All my movies are spiritual and all have an emotional perspective".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/features/the-5minute-interview-m-night-shyamalan-writer-and-director-837413.html | work=The Independent | location=London | title=The 5-minute Interview: M Night Shyamalan, Writer and director | date=May 31, 2008 | access-date=May 12, 2010}}</ref> He nonetheless avoided plot twists for years, until again using them starting with ''The Visit'' in 2015. ''Rolling Stone'' wrote in 2018,{{r|hiatt20181220}}


*[[Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]
{{blockquote|In his twenties, [Shyamalan] says, "I don't think you could have told me that making thrillers for your whole life wasn't a bad thing. At first it was a sense of, 'Hey, I can make anything.' But that’s hypocritical, because when I pick up an [[Agatha Christie]] novel in my library, I have a strong expectation. So, I get it&nbsp;... When I became happy with the idea of making thrillers for the rest of my life, everything went right."}}
*[[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone]]


==Other websites==
After the release of ''The Village'', ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]''{{'}}s Michael Agger noted that Shyamalan was following "an uncomfortable pattern" of "making fragile, sealed-off movies that fell apart when exposed to outside logic".<ref>{{cite web |work=Slate |date=July 30, 2004 |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2004/07/village_idiot.html |title=The case against M. Night Shyamalan}}</ref>


Shyamalan has also been nominated for and in some cases won numerous [[Golden Raspberry Awards]] for ''Lady in the Water'' in 2006, ''The Happening'' in 2008, ''The Last Airbender'' in 2010, and ''After Earth'' in 2013. {{citation needed|date=August 2020}} In 2016 he was also nominated for the [[Razzie Redeemer Award]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rosen|first=Christopher|title=Razzies nominations 2016: 50 Shades of Grey, Pixels lead pack of year's worst|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/01/13/razzies-nominations-2016-list/|date=January 13, 2016|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref>


{{Commons category|M. Night Shyamalan}}
''The Village'', ''Lady in the Water'' and ''Split'' have been included in ''[[Cahiers du Cinéma]]'' [[Cahiers du Cinéma's Annual Top 10 Lists|annual top ten lists]].
*{{imdb|0796117|M. Night Shyamalan}}
 
*[http://www.mnightshyamalan.com M. Night Shyamalan: The Official Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214134615/http://www.mnightshyamalan.com/ |date=2009-12-14 }}
Shyamalan is also known for setting and shooting his films in and around [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], along with nearby [[Reading, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Filming under way at Reading's Pagoda for Shyamalan's 'The Last Airbender'|url=http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=132206|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=Reading Eagle}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Kathy Lauer-Williams|title=No Pagoda scenes after all in 'The Last Airbender'|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-xpm-2010-07-01-mc-airbender-pagoda-reading-20100630-story.html|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=mcall.com|date=July 2010 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title='One of the greatest places to shoot in the world': M. Night Shyamalan pushes Pa. to boost film tax credit|url=https://whyy.org/articles/one-of-the-greatest-places-to-shoot-in-the-world-m-night-shyamalan-pushes-pa-to-boost-film-tax-credit/|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=Whyy.org|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title="The Last Airbender" Takes Over Reading Pagoda|url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/local/the-last-airbender-takes-over-reading-pagoda/1876964/|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=NBC10 Philadelphia|language=en-US}}</ref> Most of his commercially successful films were co-produced and released by [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]]' [[Touchstone Pictures|Touchstone]] and [[Hollywood Pictures]] and [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] imprints.
*[http://www.mnight.com M. Night Shyamalan Online]
 
*[http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/jul/21/night_vision_director_turns_personal_bedtime_story/ 2006 M. Night Shyamalan interview] (Interview with Jon Niccum)
===Critical reception===
*[http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/66795/06_2008/dark_night1/meet-the-man-who-sends-shivers-down-your-spine.html Interview with Rajeev Masand on CNN-IBN/ibnlive.com]
<onlyinclude>
*[http://www.sci-fi-online.com/00_interviews/08-10-29_m-night-shyamalan.htm M. Night Shyamalan Interview] at www.sci-fi-online.com
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ {{sronly|Critical and public response to films from M. Night Shyamalan}}
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Film
! scope="col" | [[Rotten Tomatoes]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/m_night_shyamalan|title=M. Night Shyamalan|publisher=[[Fandango Media]]|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212024135/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/m_night_shyamalan|archive-date=February 12, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=August 2, 2021}}</ref>
! scope="col" | [[Metacritic]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/person/m-night-shyamalan|title=M. Night Shyamalan|website=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130040621/https://www.metacritic.com/person/m-night-shyamalan|archive-date=February 12, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=August 2, 2021}}</ref>
! scope="col" | [[CinemaScore]]<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |title=CinemaScore |publisher=[[CinemaScore]] |access-date=February 12, 2021}} Each film's score can be accessed from the website's search bar.</ref>
|-
| 1992
! scope=row | ''[[Praying with Anger]]''
| {{N/A}}
| {{N/A}}
| {{N/A}}
|-
| 1998
! scope=row | ''[[Wide Awake (1998 film)|Wide Awake]]''
| 45% (33 reviews)
| {{N/A}}
| {{N/A}}
|-
| 1999
! scope=row | {{sort|Sixth Sense|''[[The Sixth Sense]]''}}
| 86% (158 reviews)
| 64 (35 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|A–}}
|-
| 2000
! scope=row | ''[[Unbreakable (film)|Unbreakable]]''
| 70% (173 reviews)
| 62 (31 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|C}}
|-
| 2002
! scope=row | ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]''
| 75% (237 reviews)
| 59 (36 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|B}}
|-
| 2004
! scope=row | {{sort|Village|''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]''}}
| 43% (218 reviews)
| 44 (40 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|C}}
|-
| 2006
! scope=row | ''[[Lady in the Water]]''
| 25% (212 reviews)
| 36 (36 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|B–}}
|-
| 2008
! scope=row | {{sort|Happening|''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]''}}
| 17% (185 reviews)
| 34 (38 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|D}}
|-
| 2010
! scope=row | {{sort|Last Airbender|''[[The Last Airbender (2010 film)|The Last Airbender]]''}}
| 5% (192 reviews)
| 20 (33 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|C}}
|-
| 2013
! scope=row | ''[[After Earth]]''
| 12% (212 reviews)
| 33 (41 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|B}}
|-
| 2015
! scope=row | {{sort|Visit|''[[The Visit (2015 American film)|The Visit]]''}}
| 68% (229 reviews)
| 55 (34 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|B–}}
|-
| 2016
! scope=row | ''[[Split (2016 American film)|Split]]''
| 78% (308 reviews)
| 62 (47 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|B+}}
|-
| 2019
! scope=row | ''[[Glass (2019 film)|Glass]]''
| 37% (395 reviews)
| 43 (53 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|B}}
|-
| 2021
! scope=row| ''[[Old (film)|Old]]''
| 50% (313 reviews)
| 55 (52 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|C+}}
|-
|2023
! scope=row| ''[[Knock at the Cabin]]''
| 68% (215 reviews)
| 63 (54 reviews)
| align="center" | {{sort grade|C}}
|}
</onlyinclude>
===Box-office performance===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Budget
! Box-office<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/person/131930401-M-Night-Shyamalan|title=M. Night Shyamalan – Box Office|website=The Numbers}}</ref>
|-
| 1998
| ''Wide Awake''
| $6 million
| data-sort-value="$0.3 million" | $305,704
|-
| 1999
| ''The Sixth Sense''
| $40 million
| $673 million
|-
| 2000
| ''Unbreakable''
| $75 million
| $248 million
|-
| 2002
| ''Signs''
| $72 million
| $408 million
|-
| 2004
| ''The Village''
| $60 million
| $257 million
|-
| 2006
| ''Lady in the Water''
| $70 million
| $73 million
|-
| 2008
| ''The Happening''
| $48 million
| $163 million
|-
| 2010
| ''The Last Airbender''
| $150 million
| $319 million
|-
| 2013
| ''After Earth''
| $130 million
| $251 million
|-
| 2015
| ''The Visit''
| $5 million
| $98 million
|-
| 2016
| ''Split''
| $9 million
| $279 million
|-
| 2019
| ''Glass''
| $20 million
| $247 million
|-
| 2021
| ''Old''
| $18 million
| $90 million
|-
| 2023
| ''Knock at the Cabin''
| $20 million
| $37 million
|- style="font-weight: bold; background-color: #EAECF0;" class="sortbottom"
! scope="row" colspan="2" | Total
| $723 million
| $3.106 billion
|-
|}
 
==Awards and nominations==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by M. Night Shyamalan}}
In 2008, Shyamalan was honored with the [[Padma Shri]] award by the [[Government of India]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php?start=40 |title= Padma Shri Awardees| website= india.gov.in| publisher= National Informatics Centre, Government of India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930041403/http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php?start=40 |archive-date=September 30, 2009 | access-date= November 1, 2017}}</ref> Shyamalan was the Jury President of the [[72nd Berlin International Film Festival]] competition section.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Prizes of the International Jury|url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/festival/awards-and-juries/international-jury.html|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=Berlinale.de|language=en}}</ref>
 
==Controversies==
===SyFy Channel hoax===
In 2004, Shyamalan was involved in a media [[hoax]] with [[SyFy Channel]], which was eventually uncovered by the press. SyFy claimed in its "documentary" special ''The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan'', shot on the set of ''The Village'', that as a child, Shyamalan had been dead for nearly a half hour while drowned in a frozen pond in an accident, and that upon being rescued he had experiences of communicating with spirits, fueling an obsession with the supernatural.
 
In truth, Shyamalan developed the hoax with SyFy, going so far as having SyFy staffers sign [[non-disclosure agreement]]s with a $5 million fine attached and requiring Shyamalan's office to formally approve each step. Neither the childhood accident nor a supposed rift with the filmmakers ever occurred. The hoax included a nonexistent SyFy publicist, "David Westover", whose name appeared on [[press releases]] regarding the special. SyFy also fed false news stories to the [[Associated Press]],<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.today.com/id/5211084/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/profile-m-night-shyamalan-goes-sour/ |agency=[[Associated Press]] | work = [[Today (US TV show)|Today]]|date=June 16, 2004 |title= Profile of M. Night Shyamalan goes sour: SyFy Channel is still planning to air the documentary| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401052130/http://www.today.com/id/5211084/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/profile-m-night-shyamalan-goes-sour/| archive-date=April 1, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Zap2It]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118399097.html|title=Sci Fi schedules controversial Shyamalan doc.|date=June 21, 2004|access-date=April 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151407/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118399097.html|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=dead|publisher=[[Zap2it.com]]|agency=[[Knight Ridder]] / [[Tribune News Service]]}}<!--ORIGINAL CITE, WHICH MAY STILL BE AVAILABLE SOMEWHERE ON NET; NOT ARCHIVED, HOWEVER {{cite web |publisher=[[Zap2it.com]] |date=June 17, 2004 |url=http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C888301%7C,00.html |title=Sci-Fi Schedules Controversial Shyamalan Doc }} {{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}--></ref> and the ''[[New York Post]]'',<ref>{{cite news| url =https://nymag.com/movies/reviews/17661/| title= M. Narcissus Shyamalan | publisher=(Sidebar, "Backstory") [[New York (magazine)|New York]] | first=David|last= Edelstein| author-link= David Edelstein |date= n.d.|archive-date= July 19, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060719193604/http://nymag.com/movies/reviews/17661/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2004/06/23/starr-report-754/ |title=Starr Report |first=Michael |last=Starr |date=June 23, 2004 |access-date=April 1, 2015 |work=[[New York Post]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717104227/http://nypost.com/2004/06/23/starr-report-754/ |archive-date= July 17, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2005/01/02/lets-be-honest-who-were-the-biggest-liars-of-2004/ |title=Let's Be Honest! Who Were the Biggest Liars of 2004? |first=Philip |last=Recchia |date=January 2, 2005 |work=New York Post |access-date=April 1, 2015 |archive-date= April 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403165432/http://nypost.com/2005/01/02/lets-be-honest-who-were-the-biggest-liars-of-2004/ |url-status=live }}</ref> among others.
 
After an AP reporter confronted SyFy Channel president [[Bonnie Hammer]] at a press conference, Hammer admitted the hoax, saying it was part of a [[guerrilla marketing]] campaign to generate pre-release [[publicity]] for ''The Village''. This prompted SyFy's parent company, [[NBC Universal]], to state that the undertaking was "not consistent with our policy at NBC. We would never intend to offend the public or the press and we value our relationship with both."<ref name="APSciFi">{{cite news|last=Collins |first=Dan |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/20/entertainment/main630733.shtml |title=Sci-Fi Channel Admits Hoax, 'Documentary' On Reclusive Filmmaker Is Bogus |agency=[[Associated Press]] |publisher=[[CBS News]] |date=July 20, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225031642/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/20/entertainment/main630733.shtml |archive-date=February 25, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
===Plagiarism accusations===
In 2003, a Pennsylvanian screenwriter named Robert McElhenney (unrelated to actor and producer [[Rob McElhenney]]) sued Shyamalan, alleging similarities between ''Signs'' and McElhenney's unpublished script ''Lord of the Barrens: The Jersey Devil''.<ref name="eonline.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/48011/shyamalan-s-village-villainy |website=E! News |title=Shyamalan's "Village" Villainy? |date= August 10, 2004 |first=Josh |last=Grossberg }}</ref><ref name="rediff.com">{{cite web |url=http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2004/aug/11night.htm |title=Is Shyamalan a copycat? |publisher= Rediff Entertainment Bureau |date=August 11, 2004}}</ref> In 2004, [[Margaret Peterson Haddix]] claimed that ''The Village'' has numerous similarities to her young adult novel ''[[Running Out of Time (novel)|Running Out of Time]]'' (1996), prompting discussions with publisher Simon & Schuster about filing a lawsuit.<ref name="eonline.com"/><ref name="rediff.com"/><ref name="ew.com">{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2004/08/10/author-mulls-lawsuit-over-village/|title=Author mulls lawsuit over ''The Village''|magazine=Entertainment Weekly | first=Gary |last=Susman |date=August 10, 2004}}</ref> In response to both allegations, Disney and Shyamalan's production company Blinding Edge issued statements calling the claims "meritless".
 
[[Orson Scott Card]] has claimed that many elements of ''The Sixth Sense'' were plagiarized from his novel ''[[Lost Boys (novel)|Lost Boys]]'', although he has said that enough had been changed that there was no point in suing.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.hatrack.com/cgi-bin/print_friendly.cgi?page=/osc/reviews/everything/2004-08-08.shtml |title= Infringement, Watts, Plum, Ringworld, and Even More Books |first= Orson Scott |last= Card |publisher= Hatrack River (hatrack.com) |date= August 8, 2004 }}</ref>
 
==Pop culture and racism==
After the release of ''The Happening'', ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s [[Kim Newman]] questioned, "Can it be a kind of racism that the Indian-born, Philadelphia-raised auteur is hammered for his apparent character (or funny name) rather more than, say, Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee?"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/jun/16/secondopinionthehappening|title=Second opinion: The Happening|first=Kim|last=Newman|date=June 16, 2008|website=Theguardian.com}}</ref> The [[British Film Institute]] (BFI) also discussed the impact of racism on Shyamalan's career, pointing to frequent mispronunciations of his last name.<ref name="auto1"/> By 2017, ''[[Vice Media|Vice]]'' said that "Shamalamadingdong" had become the "agreed-upon mockery of his name".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/kb4kwv/what-a-twist-m-night-shyamalan-doesnt-deserve-to-be-a-running-joke?|title = What a Twist: M. Night Shyamalan Doesn't Deserve to be a Running Joke|website=Vice.com}}</ref>
 
BFI asked if critical attacks are the result of egotistical statements on Shyamalan's part. They question whether his strong statements of self-assurance coupled with the remarkable success of ''The Sixth Sense'' set up a fall from grace which was soon realized when a run of very successful films (''The Sixth Sense'', ''Unbreakable'', ''Signs'' and ''The Village'') seemingly collapsed with a string of critical failures (''Lady in the Water'', ''The Happening'', ''The Last Airbender'', and ''After Earth'').<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/lost-spirit-m-night-shyamalan|title=Lost spirit: M. Night Shyamalan &#124; Sight & Sound|website=British Film Institute}}</ref> In 2019, Tim Greiving of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' said that "his confidence was interpreted as arrogance by some, especially after he cast himself in ''Lady in the Water'' as a brilliant writer whose book is prophesied as a world-saver." Greiving continued, "Howard, who expressed pride in him for forging ahead despite his turn among critics, noted how rare it was for such a young filmmaker to write, direct and produce original material. She wondered whether that placed a bigger target on his back, as his reputation for doggedness was perpetuated within the industry and reinforced by critics."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/twenty-years-after-the-sixth-sense-m-night-shyamalan-hasnt-given-up-on-twist-endings/2019/01/16/068144be-15c5-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html |title=Twenty years after 'The Sixth Sense,' M. Night Shyamalan hasn't given up on twist endings |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Grieving |first=Tim |date=January 17, 2019 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
 
==External links==
{{commons category|M. Night Shyamalan}}
* {{Official}}
* {{IMDb name|0796117|M. Night Shyamalan}}
 
{{M. Night Shyamalan|state=expanded}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by M. Night Shyamalan|Awards for M. Night Shyamalan]]
|list =
{{Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Empire Award for Best Director}}
{{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director}}
{{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay}}
{{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor}}
{{Nebula Award for Best Script/Bradbury Award}}
{{Padma Award winners of Kerala}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{Satellite Award Best Original Screenplay}}
}}
{{Blinding Edge Pictures}}
{{Berlin International Film Festival jury presidents}}
 
{{Authority control}}


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Revision as of 22:50, 15 March 2023


M. Night Shyamalan
Shyamalan smiling
Shyamalan in 2016
Born
Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan

(1970-08-06) August 6, 1970 (age 56)
Mahé, Pondicherry, India
NationalityAmerican[1]
Alma materNew York University
Occupation
  • Filmmaker
  • actor
Years active1992–present
Works
Full list
Spouse(s)
Bhavna Vaswani
(
m. 1992)
Children3, including Saleka
AwardsFull list
HonorsPadma Shri (2008)[2]

Manoj Nelliyattu "M. Night" Shyamalan[1] (/ˈʃɑːməlɑːn/ SHAH-mə-lahn;[3] born August 6, 1970)[4] is an Indian-American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for making original films with contemporary supernatural plots and twist endings. He was born in Mahé, India, and raised in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. The cumulative gross of his films exceeds $3.4 billion globally.[5]

His early films include Praying with Anger (1992) and Wide Awake (1998) before his breakthrough film The Sixth Sense (1999), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He then released Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002) and The Village (2004). Following a period of setbacks which include several poorly received films like The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), and After Earth (2013), he found a career resurgence with the films The Visit (2015), Split (2016), Glass (2019), Old (2021), and Knock at the Cabin (2023).[6]

He is also one of the executive producers and occasional director of the 20th Television science fiction series Wayward Pines (2015–2016) and the Apple TV+ psychological horror series Servant (2019–present), for which he also serves as the showrunner.[7][8]

Early life

Shyamalan was born in Mahé, India to ethnic Indian parents in a town in the Union Territory of Pondicherry.[9][10] His father, Dr. Nelliyattu C. Shyamalan, is a Malayali neurologist from Mahé and a JIPMER graduate;[citation needed] his mother, Dr. Jayalakshmi, a Tamil, is an OB-GYN.[11]

Shyamalan's parents immigrated to the United States when he was six weeks old.[12] Shyamalan was raised in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. Shyamalan was raised Hindu.[13] He attended the private Roman Catholic grammar school Waldron Mercy Academy, followed by the Episcopal Academy, a private Episcopal high school located at the time in Merion Station, Pennsylvania. He felt like an outsider and remembers that teachers would say that whoever was not baptized would go to hell.[14] When he was a student there, a teacher once became upset because he "got the best grade and [he] wasn't Catholic".[14] Shyamalan earned the New York University Merit Scholarship in 1988, and was also a National Merit Scholar.[15] Shyamalan is an alumnus of New York University Tisch School of the Arts in Manhattan,[16] graduating in 1992. It was while studying there that he adopted "Night" as his second name.

Shyamalan had an early desire to be a filmmaker when he was given a Super 8 camera at a young age. Though his father wanted him to follow in the family practice of medicine, his mother encouraged him to follow his passion. By the time he was seventeen, he had made forty-five home movies.[citation needed] On each DVD release of his films, beginning with The Sixth Sense and with the exception of Lady in the Water, he has included a scene from one of these childhood movies, which, he feels, represents his first attempt at the same kind of film.[citation needed]

Career

Film

Shyamalan at a press conference
for The Happening in 2008.

Shyamalan made his first film, the semi-autobiographical drama Praying with Anger, while still a student at NYU, using money borrowed from family and friends.[17] He wrote and directed his second movie, Wide Awake. His parents were the film's associate producers. The drama dealt with a ten-year-old Catholic schoolboy (Joseph Cross) who, after the death of his grandfather (Robert Loggia), searches for God. The film's supporting cast included Dana Delany and Denis Leary as the boy's parents, as well as Rosie O'Donnell, Julia Stiles, and Camryn Manheim. Wide Awake was filmed in a school Shyamalan attended as a child[18] and earned 1999 Young Artist Award nominations for Best Drama, and, for Cross, Best Performance.[19] Only in limited release, the film grossed $305,704 in theaters, against a $6 million budget.[20]

That same year Shyamalan co-wrote the screenplay for Stuart Little with Greg Brooker. In 2013, he revealed he was the ghostwriter for the 1999 film She's All That, a teen comedy starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook.[21] On June 17, 2013, Jack Lechner (who served as Miramax's head of development in the late 1990s) confirmed that both Shyamalan and R. Lee Fleming, Jr. contributed to the script: Fleming wrote the initial script that Miramax bought while Shyamalan did an uncredited rewrite (doing more than "a polish") that got the film green-lit. Lechner reiterated that content from both writers was included in the final cut of the film.[22]

Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis, and which became the second-highest grossing horror movie of all time.[23] The Sixth Sense was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

In July 2000, on The Howard Stern Show, Shyamalan said he had met with Spielberg and was in early talks to write the script for the fourth Indiana Jones film. This would have given Shyamalan a chance to work with his longtime idol.[24] After the film fell through, Shyamalan later said it was too "tricky" to arrange and "not the right thing" for him to do.[25]

Shyamalan followed The Sixth Sense by writing and directing Unbreakable (2000), again starring Willis, a stealth superhero film within a thriller which was both critically and financially successful.

Shyamalan's name was linked with the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but it conflicted with the production of Unbreakable. In July 2006, while doing press tours for Lady in the Water, Shyamalan had said he was still interested in directing one of the last two Harry Potter films: "The themes that run through it ... the empowering of children, a positive outlook ... you name it, it falls in line with my beliefs", Shyamalan said. "I enjoy the humor in it. When I read the first Harry Potter and was thinking about making it, I had a whole different vibe in my head of it".[26]

His next film, Signs, where he also played Ray Reddy, was released in 2002. The film stars Mel Gibson as a former Episcopalian priest who regains his faith in God during an alien invasion. It was both critically and financially successful and grossed $408 million from a budget of $72 million.

Shyamalan next directed The Village (2004), about an isolated community living in the woods. Although it received mixed reviews, it was financially successful as it grossed $257 million from a budget of $60 million.

M. Night Shyamalan and Bryce Dallas Howard at the Spanish premiere of The Village (in the San Sebastián International Film Festival, 2006).

After the release of The Village in 2004, Shyamalan had been planning a film adaptation of Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi with 20th Century Fox, but later backed out so that he could make Lady in the Water. In an interview he said about his reasons for dropping out of that project:[27]

I love that book. I mean, it's basically [the story of] a kid born in the same city as me [Pondicherry, India] — it almost felt predestined. But I was hesitant because the book has kind of a twist ending. And I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience. Whereas if someone else did it, it would be much more satisfying, I think. Expectations, you've got to be aware of them. I'm wishing them all great luck. I hope they make a beautiful movie.

Released in 2006, Lady in the Water, a bedtime story about a water nymph and an apartment superintendent, was both critically and financially unsuccessful, only grossing $72 million worldwide from a budget of $70 million.

Next was the film The Happening, a B-movie about trees killing humans, featuring a teacher Elliott Moore and his wife fleeing from contaminated cities into the countryside. It was critically unsuccessful but financially successful as it grossed $163 million from a budget of $48 million.[28]

In 2010, he directed The Last Airbender, based on the first season of the Nickelodeon TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was critically unsuccessful—with significant criticism aimed at its casting of white actors in Asian and Native American-inspired roles, yet was a financial success, grossing $319 million from a budget of $150 million.

In July 2008, it was announced that Shyamalan had partnered with Media Rights Capital to form a production company called Night Chronicles. Shyamalan would produce, but not direct, one film a year for three years.[29] The first of the three films was Devil, a supernatural thriller directed by siblings John and Drew Dowdle. The script was written by Brian Nelson, based on an original idea from Shyamalan.[30] The movie was about a group of people stuck in an elevator with the devil, and starred Chris Messina.[31] The film was not previewed by critics before its release.

In 2013, Shyamalan directed the film After Earth, based on a script by Gary Whitta and starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith. It was received poorly by critics, and was financially unsuccessful. Shyamalan later described his thinking in 2013 as full of doubts, introspection and questioning.[32]

Shyamalan announced in January 2014 that he would be working again with Bruce Willis on a film titled Labor of Love.[33] As of March 2022, and the retirement of Willis, this film had yet to be produced.

Shyamalan's reputation was poor and most Hollywood studios passed on his self-funded, low-budget horror-comedy The Visit, featuring a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip. After revising the film,[32] which Shyamalan had shot in secret, Universal picked up rights to The Visit. The movie went on to gross $98 million worldwide on a budget of $5 million[34] – the fifth-highest grossing thriller film of the year.[35][36] Universal released the movie on September 11, 2015.[36]

In 2017, Shyamalan released the movie Split. It was both critically and financially successful and grossed $279 million from a budget of $9 million.[37]

In 2019, he released Glass as the final installment in his 19-year trilogy inclusive of previous films Unbreakable and Split. The movie grossed over $247 million worldwide.[38][37]

M. Night Shyamalan's film, Old, a thriller about tourists who begin aging rapidly on a mysterious beach, was shot in Dominican Republic[39] and released on July 23, 2021. The film stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff, Abbey Lee, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ken Leung, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Embeth Davidtz, Alexa Swinton, Nolan River, and Emun Elliott.[40][41][42][43] The film received mixed reviews from critics.

In October 2021, Shyamalan announced that his next film Knock at the Cabin would be released in cinemas on February 3, 2023.[44] In February 2023, it was revealed Shyamalan's next film, titled Trap, would be released in theatres on August 2, 2024 by Warner Bros. Pictures.[45]

Television

Shyamalan is the executive producer on the Apple TV series Servant. Shyamalan directed several episodes, including the pilot. Servant was renewed for a second series in advance of the season one premiere.[46] The second season of Servant completed filming in fall 2020 under COVID protocols.[47]

Shyamalan was also instrumental in the creation of the Fox science fiction series Wayward Pines (2015–2016), for which he executive produced and directed the pilot episode. The series became the most-watched show of that summer.[48]

In 2016, TNT first announced that Shyamalan would be responsible for a reboot series for Tales from the Crypt. As of June 2017 the series had been cancelled due to a number of legal reasons.[49]

He also appeared in an episode of the series Entourage.

Production company

Shyamalan's production company, Blinding Edge Pictures,[50] is located in Berwyn, Pennsylvania.[51] Blinding Edge has produced Servant, Wayward Pines, Devil, The Happening, Lady in the Water, The Village, Signs, Unbreakable, The Last Airbender, After Earth, The Visit, Split, Glass and Old. It is run by Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan.[52] In February 2023, the company signed a multi-year first-look deal with Warner Bros., among them the Shyamalan-directed Trap, set for a theatrical release on August 2, 2024.[53]

Books

While working on his film The Happening, Shyamalan developed an interest in improving the delivery of education in American schools. He hired doctoral student James Richardson to do most of the background research and as a result published I Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America's Education Gap.[54] John Willol of NPR reviewed the book by stating "I Got Schooled is a breezily written, research driven call to change America's approach to education. Shyamalan is smart and sincere, and his innovative ideas are unbound by the educational establishment."[55]

Personal life

Shyamalan married Bhavna Vaswani, a fellow student whom he met at New York University.[56] The couple have three daughters, including director Ishana and musician Saleka.[57][58] His cousin is actor Ritesh Rajan.

Shyamalan and his family live near Philadelphia at Ravenwood, a 125-acre estate, built around a 27,000-square-foot 1937 Georgian Revival house.[59]

Shyamalan is a season ticket holder of the Philadelphia 76ers.[60]

Filmography

Main article: M. Night Shyamalan filmography
Directed features
Year Title Distributor
1992 Praying with Anger Cinevistaas Limited
1998 Wide Awake Miramax Films
1999 The Sixth Sense Buena Vista Pictures
2000 Unbreakable
2002 Signs
2004 The Village
2006 Lady in the Water Warner Bros. Pictures
2008 The Happening 20th Century Fox
2010 The Last Airbender Paramount Pictures
2013 After Earth Sony Pictures Releasing
2015 The Visit Universal Pictures
2016 Split
2019 Glass
2021 Old
2023 Knock at the Cabin
2024 Trap[61] Warner Bros. Pictures

Critical analysis and box-office performance

Rolling Stone wrote that The Sixth Sense gave Shyamalan the reputation of, "the guy who makes the scary movies with a twist".[32] In 2008, Shyamalan said it was a common misperception that "all my movies have twist endings, or that they're all scary. All my movies are spiritual and all have an emotional perspective".[62] He nonetheless avoided plot twists for years, until again using them starting with The Visit in 2015. Rolling Stone wrote in 2018,[32]

In his twenties, [Shyamalan] says, "I don't think you could have told me that making thrillers for your whole life wasn't a bad thing. At first it was a sense of, 'Hey, I can make anything.' But that’s hypocritical, because when I pick up an Agatha Christie novel in my library, I have a strong expectation. So, I get it ... When I became happy with the idea of making thrillers for the rest of my life, everything went right."

After the release of The Village, Slate's Michael Agger noted that Shyamalan was following "an uncomfortable pattern" of "making fragile, sealed-off movies that fell apart when exposed to outside logic".[63]

Shyamalan has also been nominated for and in some cases won numerous Golden Raspberry Awards for Lady in the Water in 2006, The Happening in 2008, The Last Airbender in 2010, and After Earth in 2013. [citation needed] In 2016 he was also nominated for the Razzie Redeemer Award.[64]

The Village, Lady in the Water and Split have been included in Cahiers du Cinéma annual top ten lists.

Shyamalan is also known for setting and shooting his films in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along with nearby Reading, Pennsylvania.[65][66][67][68] Most of his commercially successful films were co-produced and released by Walt Disney Studios' Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures and Universal imprints.

Critical reception

Critical and public response to films from M. Night Shyamalan
Year Film Rotten Tomatoes[69] Metacritic[70] CinemaScore[71]
1992 Praying with Anger N/A N/A N/A
1998 Wide Awake 45% (33 reviews) N/A N/A
1999 The Sixth Sense 86% (158 reviews) 64 (35 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2000 Unbreakable 70% (173 reviews) 62 (31 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2002 Signs 75% (237 reviews) 59 (36 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2004 The Village 43% (218 reviews) 44 (40 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2006 Lady in the Water 25% (212 reviews) 36 (36 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2008 The Happening 17% (185 reviews) 34 (38 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2010 The Last Airbender 5% (192 reviews) 20 (33 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2013 After Earth 12% (212 reviews) 33 (41 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2015 The Visit 68% (229 reviews) 55 (34 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2016 Split 78% (308 reviews) 62 (47 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2019 Glass 37% (395 reviews) 43 (53 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2021 Old 50% (313 reviews) 55 (52 reviews) Template:Sort grade
2023 Knock at the Cabin 68% (215 reviews) 63 (54 reviews) Template:Sort grade

Box-office performance

Year Title Budget Box-office[72]
1998 Wide Awake $6 million $305,704
1999 The Sixth Sense $40 million $673 million
2000 Unbreakable $75 million $248 million
2002 Signs $72 million $408 million
2004 The Village $60 million $257 million
2006 Lady in the Water $70 million $73 million
2008 The Happening $48 million $163 million
2010 The Last Airbender $150 million $319 million
2013 After Earth $130 million $251 million
2015 The Visit $5 million $98 million
2016 Split $9 million $279 million
2019 Glass $20 million $247 million
2021 Old $18 million $90 million
2023 Knock at the Cabin $20 million $37 million
Total $723 million $3.106 billion

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by M. Night Shyamalan

In 2008, Shyamalan was honored with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India.[73] Shyamalan was the Jury President of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival competition section.[74]

Controversies

SyFy Channel hoax

In 2004, Shyamalan was involved in a media hoax with SyFy Channel, which was eventually uncovered by the press. SyFy claimed in its "documentary" special The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan, shot on the set of The Village, that as a child, Shyamalan had been dead for nearly a half hour while drowned in a frozen pond in an accident, and that upon being rescued he had experiences of communicating with spirits, fueling an obsession with the supernatural.

In truth, Shyamalan developed the hoax with SyFy, going so far as having SyFy staffers sign non-disclosure agreements with a $5 million fine attached and requiring Shyamalan's office to formally approve each step. Neither the childhood accident nor a supposed rift with the filmmakers ever occurred. The hoax included a nonexistent SyFy publicist, "David Westover", whose name appeared on press releases regarding the special. SyFy also fed false news stories to the Associated Press,[75] Zap2It,[76] and the New York Post,[77][78][79] among others.

After an AP reporter confronted SyFy Channel president Bonnie Hammer at a press conference, Hammer admitted the hoax, saying it was part of a guerrilla marketing campaign to generate pre-release publicity for The Village. This prompted SyFy's parent company, NBC Universal, to state that the undertaking was "not consistent with our policy at NBC. We would never intend to offend the public or the press and we value our relationship with both."[80]

Plagiarism accusations

In 2003, a Pennsylvanian screenwriter named Robert McElhenney (unrelated to actor and producer Rob McElhenney) sued Shyamalan, alleging similarities between Signs and McElhenney's unpublished script Lord of the Barrens: The Jersey Devil.[81][82] In 2004, Margaret Peterson Haddix claimed that The Village has numerous similarities to her young adult novel Running Out of Time (1996), prompting discussions with publisher Simon & Schuster about filing a lawsuit.[81][82][83] In response to both allegations, Disney and Shyamalan's production company Blinding Edge issued statements calling the claims "meritless".

Orson Scott Card has claimed that many elements of The Sixth Sense were plagiarized from his novel Lost Boys, although he has said that enough had been changed that there was no point in suing.[84]

Pop culture and racism

After the release of The Happening, The Guardian's Kim Newman questioned, "Can it be a kind of racism that the Indian-born, Philadelphia-raised auteur is hammered for his apparent character (or funny name) rather more than, say, Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee?"[85] The British Film Institute (BFI) also discussed the impact of racism on Shyamalan's career, pointing to frequent mispronunciations of his last name.[86] By 2017, Vice said that "Shamalamadingdong" had become the "agreed-upon mockery of his name".[87]

BFI asked if critical attacks are the result of egotistical statements on Shyamalan's part. They question whether his strong statements of self-assurance coupled with the remarkable success of The Sixth Sense set up a fall from grace which was soon realized when a run of very successful films (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village) seemingly collapsed with a string of critical failures (Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth).[86] In 2019, Tim Greiving of The Washington Post said that "his confidence was interpreted as arrogance by some, especially after he cast himself in Lady in the Water as a brilliant writer whose book is prophesied as a world-saver." Greiving continued, "Howard, who expressed pride in him for forging ahead despite his turn among critics, noted how rare it was for such a young filmmaker to write, direct and produce original material. She wondered whether that placed a bigger target on his back, as his reputation for doggedness was perpetuated within the industry and reinforced by critics."[88]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huber, Robert; Wallace, Benjamin (2006). The Philadelphia Reader. Temple University Press. p. 197. Then [Shyamalan] changed his name. The idea came when he was applying for American citizenship at age 18.
  2. ↑ "Padma Shri brings Night to town | India News – Times of India". The Times of India. May 8, 2008.
  3. ↑ "NLS: Say How, Q-T". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1219. August 10, 2012. p. 27.
  5. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (October 13, 2021). "M. Night Shyamalan's Next Movie Gets a Title: 'Knock at the Cabin'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Old". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  7. ↑ Kornelis, Chris (January 12, 2022). "M. Night Shyamalan on Impostor Syndrome and His Old-School Film Techniques". Wsj.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  8. ↑ "The Prizes of the International Jury". Berlinale.de. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  9. ↑ "The need for a Dev Patel in the Life of Pi". Rediff.com. February 20, 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  10. ↑ Bamberger, Michael. The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale.(Gotham Books, New York, 2006), p. 150.
  11. ↑ "Biography – M. Night Shyamalan Online". Mnight.com. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  12. ↑ "M Night Shyamalan American Filmmaker". The Global Indian. February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  13. ↑ Shyamalan, M. Night (July 12, 2010). "10 Questions for M. Night Shyamalan". Time.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Farley, Christopher (November 27, 2000). "Cinema: A New Day Dawns For Night". Time. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  15. ↑ Edelstein, David (July 16, 2006). "M. Narcissus Shyamalan". New York Magazine. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Dean's Message". about.tisch.nyu.edu.
  17. ↑ Bamberger, Ibid., p. 19.
  18. ↑ Answers.com – Wide Awake.
  19. ↑ Young Artists Award Archived September 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine – Past Nominations Listing.
  20. ↑ The Numbers – Wide Awake Box Office Data.
  21. ↑ Crossan, Jamie (June 11, 2013). "M Night Shyamalan reveals he ghost-wrote 'She's All That'". NME. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  22. ↑ Busis, Hillary (June 17, 2013). "M. Night Shyamalan and 'She's All That': Did he really write it?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  23. ↑ Bean, Travis (October 3, 2019). "The Highest-Grossing Horror Movies Of All Time". Forbes.
  24. ↑ Premiere.com – "Indiana Jones and the Curse of Development Hell", By Ann Donahue Archived June 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  25. ↑ Science Fiction Weekly, Template:Issue
  26. ↑ Otto, Jeff (July 14, 2006). "Potter in the Water? Shyamalan interested in magical franchise". IGN.
  27. ↑ Schwartz, Missy (May 3, 2006). "Catching up with M. Night Shyamalan at Tribeca". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Was the Happening supposed to be taken seriously?". Film.avclub.com. January 26, 2016.
  29. ↑ Fleming, Michael (July 21, 2008). "Night falls for Media Rights". Variety.
  30. ↑ Fleming, Michael (October 28, 2008). "MRC, Shyamalan dance with 'Devil'". Variety. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  31. ↑ "Details on Shyamalan Story 'Devil'". Retrieved October 19, 2009.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Hiatt, Brian (December 20, 2018). "The Fall and Rise of M. Night Shyamalan". Rolling Stone.
  33. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 29, 2014). "M. Night Shyamalan And Bruce Willis Re-Team For 'Labor Of Love'". Deadline Hollywood.
  34. ↑ Nash, Bruce. "The Numbers – The Visit". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  35. ↑ Nash, Bruce. "Box Office Performance for Thriller/Suspense Movies in 2015". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 12, 2014). "Universal Slots 'The Visit', M. Night Shyamalan's Secret Thriller". Deadline. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "Unbreakable Franchise Box Office History". The Numbers.
  38. ↑ f. "Glass – Box office gross". Box Office Mojo. IMDBPro.
  39. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan wraps up shooting his upcoming film in the DR". Filming Dominican Republic. November 16, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  40. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (June 23, 2020). "M. Night Shyamalan Thriller Gets 2021 Release Date". Deadline. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  41. ↑ Kroll, Justin (July 21, 2020). "Gael García Bernal Joins M. Night Shyamalan's Next Film". Deadline.com.
  42. ↑ Kroll, Justin (August 20, 2020). "Rufus Sewell, Embeth Davidtz & Emun Elliott Round Out Cast of M. Night Shyamalan's Next Film". Deadline.com.
  43. ↑ Shyamalan, M. Night (July 21, 2021), Old (Thriller), Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Thomasin McKenzie, Rufus Sewell, Universal Pictures, Blinding Edge Pictures, retrieved May 13, 2021
  44. ↑ Haring, Bruce (October 14, 2021). "M. Night Shyamalan's Next Universal Pic Gets New Release Date & Official Title". Deadline. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  45. ↑ 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 17, 2023.
  46. ↑ Otterson, Joe (November 23, 2019). "'Servant' Renewed for Season 2 at Apple Ahead of Series Premiere". Variety. Penske Entertainment. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  47. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan reveals title and poster for mysterious new movie as filming begins". EW.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  48. ↑ Robinson, Joanna (July 15, 2015). "The Most-Watched TV Show of the Summer May Surprise You". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  49. ↑ Barsanti, Sam (December 4, 2018). "M. Night Shyamalan's Tales From The Crypt reboot is going to stay buried". AV Club.
  50. ↑ "Legal". M. Night Shyamalan official site. Archived from the original on December 23, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Blinding Edge Pictures". YellowPages.com. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Syfy, Marti Noxon, M. Night Shyamalan and Universal Cable Productions Team for Proof Pilot" (Press release). Syfy. August 3, 2012. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  53. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 16, 2023). "M. Night Shyamalan Sets Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros., Sets 'Trap' At Studio". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  54. ↑ I Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America's Education Gap, Simon and Schuster, 2013, ISBN 978-1-4767-1645-9
  55. ↑ Wilwol, John (September 12, 2013). "Filmmaker Turns To Education Reform, Gets 'Schooled'". NPR. Retrieved October 13, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  56. ↑ Humphries, Stephen (July 28, 2004). "A Different Take". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015.
  57. ↑ Colman, David (May 31, 2012). "M. Night Shyamalan's Pennsylvania Estate". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  58. ↑ Crouch, Aaron (February 14, 2023). "Ishana Night Shyamalan to Make Feature Directorial Debut with 'The Watchers' for New Line". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  59. ↑ Colman, David (June 2016). "Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's 1930s Pennsylvania Estate". Architectural Digest. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  60. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan Is Attending Sixers Opener With Connor Barwin". CBS Philadelphia. October 26, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  61. ↑ M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros, Sets ‘Trap’ At Studio
  62. ↑ "The 5-minute Interview: M Night Shyamalan, Writer and director". The Independent. London. May 31, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  63. ↑ "The case against M. Night Shyamalan". Slate. July 30, 2004.
  64. ↑ Rosen, Christopher (January 13, 2016). "Razzies nominations 2016: 50 Shades of Grey, Pixels lead pack of year's worst". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  65. ↑ "Filming under way at Reading's Pagoda for Shyamalan's 'The Last Airbender'". Reading Eagle. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  66. ↑ Kathy Lauer-Williams (July 2010). "No Pagoda scenes after all in 'The Last Airbender'". mcall.com. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  67. ↑ "'One of the greatest places to shoot in the world': M. Night Shyamalan pushes Pa. to boost film tax credit". Whyy.org. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  68. ↑ ""The Last Airbender" Takes Over Reading Pagoda". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  69. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  70. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; November 30, 2020 suggested (help)
  71. ↑ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Retrieved February 12, 2021. Each film's score can be accessed from the website's search bar.
  72. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan – Box Office". The Numbers.
  73. ↑ "Padma Shri Awardees". india.gov.in. National Informatics Centre, Government of India. Archived from the original on September 30, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  74. ↑ "The Prizes of the International Jury". Berlinale.de. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  75. ↑ "Profile of M. Night Shyamalan goes sour: SyFy Channel is still planning to air the documentary". Today. Associated Press. June 16, 2004. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015.
  76. ↑ "Sci Fi schedules controversial Shyamalan doc". Zap2it.com. Knight Ridder / Tribune News Service. June 21, 2004. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  77. ↑ Edelstein, David (n.d.). "M. Narcissus Shyamalan". (Sidebar, "Backstory") New York. Archived from the original on July 19, 2006.
  78. ↑ Starr, Michael (June 23, 2004). "Starr Report". New York Post. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  79. ↑ Recchia, Philip (January 2, 2005). "Let's Be Honest! Who Were the Biggest Liars of 2004?". New York Post. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  80. ↑ Collins, Dan (July 20, 2004). "Sci-Fi Channel Admits Hoax, 'Documentary' On Reclusive Filmmaker Is Bogus". CBS News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012.
  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 Grossberg, Josh (August 10, 2004). "Shyamalan's "Village" Villainy?". E! News.
  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 "Is Shyamalan a copycat?". Rediff Entertainment Bureau. August 11, 2004.
  83. ↑ Susman, Gary (August 10, 2004). "Author mulls lawsuit over The Village". Entertainment Weekly.
  84. ↑ Card, Orson Scott (August 8, 2004), Infringement, Watts, Plum, Ringworld, and Even More Books, Hatrack River (hatrack.com)
  85. ↑ Newman, Kim (June 16, 2008). "Second opinion: The Happening". Theguardian.com.
  86. ↑ 86.0 86.1 "Lost spirit: M. Night Shyamalan | Sight & Sound". British Film Institute.
  87. ↑ "What a Twist: M. Night Shyamalan Doesn't Deserve to be a Running Joke". Vice.com.
  88. ↑ Grieving, Tim (January 17, 2019). "Twenty years after 'The Sixth Sense,' M. Night Shyamalan hasn't given up on twist endings". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 13, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links

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