M Night Shyamalan locks multi-year first-look deal at Warner Bros

Los Angeles, Feb 17 (PTI) Filmmaker M Night Shyamalan has signed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros Pictures Group under which he will be directing and producing films for the studio.

According to entertainment website Deadline, the pact comes after Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy signed first look deal with director Akiva Goldsman and two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.

Under the deal, Shyamalan and his Philadelphia-based production company Blinding Edge Pictures will develop original projects for the filmmaker to produce and/or direct for WBPG production divisions Warner Bros Pictures and New Line Cinema.

“Where I write and direct is my home. Disney and Universal, where I’ve made most of my films, will always be home and family to me. Warner Bros. has a storied history of cinema. Through its recent experiences, the company has rediscovered its love and appreciation for filmmakers, and the impact of the theatrical experience.

“We all win when movies succeed in theaters. I believe David Zaslav, Michael De Luca, and Pam Abdy have dedicated themselves to unique filmmakers, and to filling theaters all around the world for years to come,” Shyamalan said in a statement.

Projects currently in the pipeline at Blinding Edge include “Trap”, Shyamalan’s anticipated next film as a director and “The Watchers, the forthcoming directorial debut of his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan.

“Night is one of the most iconic and influential directors of his generation and an auteur in every sense of the word. From ‘The Sixth Sense’ through ‘Split’ to his latest chiller ‘Knock at the Cabin’, he’s one of the few directors in contemporary cinema whose name alone promises a bold, singular vision, compelling original storytelling and a provocative, surprising and entirely unique experience at the theater.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome him to the Warner Bros. family, and look forward to an exciting collaboration with Night and the entire Blinding Edge team,” De Luca and Abdy said in a joint statement.

Shyamalan’s latest release, Universal Pictures’ “Knock at the Cabin”, has made USD 40 million worldwide till now.