M. Night Shyamalan And James McAvoy’s ‘Split’ Set For 2017
WhileThe Visitstopped short of restoringM. Night Shyamalanto hisSixth Senseheyday, it was, at least, a step in the right direction for the once-hyped filmmaker. It earned him his strongest reviews in years, and (thanks to its $5 million budget) turned a tidy profit for studio Universal.
Whether he’ll keep that momentum going with his next film remains to be seen, but at least now we know when we’ll find out. Universal has just set a 2017 release date for his upcoming project withJames McAvoy, now titledSplit. More on the Shyamalan 2017 release date after the jump.
As announced today,Splitwill openJanuary 20, 2017. The project reunites Shyamalan and Universal Pictures withJason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions, after collaborating onThe Visit.Marc Bienstockwill produceSplit, whileAshwin RajanandSteven Schneiderserve as executive producers.Splittakes over the August 20, 2025 date previously earmarked for an untitled Blumhouse release.
The film currently has no direct competition on the January 20 date, though it’ll be facing off against the second weeks of a number of high-profile releases including Ron Howard’s Stephen King adaptationThe Dark Tower, Paramount’sFriday the 13threboot, and Lionsgate’sPower Rangers.
Splitis described as “a suspense thriller with elements of the supernatural.” Further plot details remain shrouded in mystery. Besides McAvoy, who replaced Joaquin Phoenix in the leada few weeks ago,Splitalso starsAnya Taylor-Joy(the breakout star of this year’s Sundance horror hitThe Witch),Jessica Sula(SkinsU.K.),Haley Lu Richardson(The Bronze), andBetty Buckley(The Happening).
Blumhouse Productions has a reputation for dirt-cheap films that make their money back several times over. The formula isn’t foolproof –Jem and the Hologramstanked hard this past weekend — but it seems to succeed more often than not. It’s why Shyamalan’sThe Visitis considered a solid hit, even though its $89 million gross actually makes it one of his lowest-grossing films.
