The premise of GLASS was a good idea, but considering M. Night Shyamalan’s track record, I’m not sure why anyone’s expectations were high. SPLIT was something of a critical comeback for the beleaguered filmmaker (and THE VISIT before that was a nifty little found footage shocker), but with GLASS, his sequel to two (mostly) unrelated earlier films, Shyamalan has not failed to disappoint.
GLASS opens 19 years after UNBREAKABLE with the indestructible David Dunn (Bruce Willis) running a home security shop and moonlighting as caped street vigilante The Sentry (now referred to as The Overseer), who patrols the streets of Philadelphia. He takes special interest in tracking down Kevin Crumb aka The Beast (James McAvoy), the cheerleader-abducting, multi-personalitied, cannibalistic serial killer from SPLIT (now referred to as The Horde). With the help of his tech-savvy son, Joseph (Spencer Treat-Clark), David discovers where Crumb is hiding, rescues a trio of cheerleaders and starts a massive street smackdown with the pumped-up villain. This battle is soon interrupted by Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), who captures both combatants (with the help of a small army) and transports them to her mysterious psychiatric compound, where Elijah (Samuel L. Jackson), the brittle-boned baddie from UNBREAKABLE has been residing. This is where the next long, boring 90 minutes of GLASS takes place. Once there, she tells Beast/Horde “It may not seem fair, but you are stuck in this room”, which is how I felt watching the wretched middle stretch of this film which consists of endless, talky scenes of therapy and psychobabble. There must be a half hour of close-ups of Sarah Paulson’s face, yammering on about mental disorders and comic books and holding up x-rays of frontal lobes. Paulson has more dialog than Jackson and Willis combined (reminded me of how they put Viola Davis’ buttoned up bureaucrat front and center in SUICIDE SQUAD). She’s a fine actress I suppose, but nobody is coming to see GLASS for Sarah Paulsen! The only character with more lines than her is Beast/Horde. Shyamalan directs many long single-takes in which McAvoy manically cycles through several of his personalities including 9-year-old Hedwig, fey Barry, slow-witted Dennis, and Miss Jennifer. It’s a technically impressive performance from the bulked-up actor, but this stuff worked far better in SPLIT, which was much better-written and the scenes of him crawling walls and ceilings has since lost its punch. Though the film is named after him, Glass (first name Mister!) spends the first half of the movie catatonic, sedated and twitching until it’s revealed that his 19 years of silently drooling in his wheelchair was all a ruse (just like Jim Carrey at the beginning of DUMB AND DUMBER TO!) and that he’s really been working on his master plan to escape and wipe out thousands of visitors at the upcoming opening of Osaka Tower, Philly’s largest skyscraper! This hints at a third-act action climax that never materializes. All three do escape but instead of the promised slaughter of innocents, we get a half-hour of fistfights between these characters on a parking lot. While that’s not quite as thrilling as mass murder, we do get a long twisty explanation of why they escaped through the basement instead of the side door, so there’s that. Since this is an M. Night, there’s a twist or two, but the movie is so dull, they hardly register.
GLASS is terrible, but it falls short of the delirious, fun atrociousness of Shyamalan’s THE HAPPENING mostly because it rambles on at 135 minutes and is so poorly and hastily written. Anya Taylor Joy from SPLIT is back reprising her role as Casey, the girl whose friends were butchered by Beast/Horde. They actually bring her in to his therapy sessions and the two embrace, which makes no sense. I can’t think of a single thing to recommend about GLASSS but one of the worst things about it is all of the ridiculous existential dialog about Comic book doctrine and mythos. I suppose all of this is supposed to warm the hearts of comic book insiders, and it was part of UNBREAKABLE where it worked better when just Mister Glass was reciting it. Here it’s so awkwardly-written, especially in the exchanges between Glass and his mom, played by Charlayne Woodard, where he delivers howlers like “I’m not a special edition. I’m an origin story!”. The actress is 12 years younger than Samuel Jackson, which is fine in the flashbacks to when little Elijah is a child (she had the same role in UNBREAKABLE and a deleted scene from that earlier film is well-integrated here), but to make her look old enough to be the 60-ish Elijah’s mom, she’s wearing some of the most god-awful, unconvincing old-age makeup I’ve seen. It would have been a better idea to simply cast an older actress in the role. There are several scenes set in comic-book shops, which are a welcome distraction, but GLASS turns out to be one of Shyamalan’s worst films, which is saying a lot!
Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price/Mr. Glass and James McAvoy (background, in yellow) as Kevin Wendell Crumb/The Horde
M. Night Shyamalan weaves together the unforgettable narratives of two of his visionary original films—2000’s UNBREAKABLE and 2016’s SPLIT—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: GLASS
From UNBREAKABLE, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within him, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast.
Following the conclusion of SPLIT, GLASS finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
James McAvoy as The Beast, one of the 23 personalities that reside inside Kevin Wendell Crumb.
All franchises, from STAR WARS to JURASSIC PARK to DESPICABLE ME have their signature musical themes. The music of the film is immediately recognizable and synonymous with the franchise itself. GLASS may be the third part of a trilogy, but it’s unlike any franchise ever made, and that presented Shyamalan and his composer West Dylan Thordson with an opportunity to create a score unlike any ever made, too.
West Dylan Thordson is a composer and bandleader who got his start in the Twin Cities music scene before moving to New York with a developing career as a composer of film scores. After leading the band A Whisper in the Noise for many years, he caught his first big break when M. Night Shyamalan featured his version of Bob Dylan’s classic “The Times They Are A-Changin’” at the end of his film LADY IN THE WATER.
Though Thordson’s move to New York was meant to be temporary, lasting only until the end of working on the film FOXCATCHER, his rise in the ranks of film composers continued in 2015 when he scored every episode of the HBO hit series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. A consummate collaborator who has now worked with some of the biggest names in music, he has also developed a signature style and distinct way of recording instruments. Thordson also composed the score for director David O. Russell’s JOY, starring Jennifer Lawrence.
“The music for Glass was a unique challenge, because we’re making a sequel to two movies from two different generations, and one of the concomitant issues of that is that you’re talking musical styles from two different generations,” Shyamalan says. “Unbreakable was kind of an old-school Hollywood score. It’s very unusual and has a great percussion kind of movement to it. It was cutting-edge at that time, but it’s played by a 100-piece orchestra. The way we approached Split was with almost a Nine Inch Nails-y vibe. We were taking a cello sound and turning it and twisting it and bending it, and that was very cutting edge for now.”
How do you bring these two approaches to one film?
The solution was for Thordson to take the themes from UNBREAKABLE, composed by James Newton Howard, and revise them in his own style and musicality. “It came out more minimalized, very, very, simple and stripped down with kind of the tones of West,” Shyamalan says. They then used the musical themes from SPLIT that Thordson had composed for that film. He also composed new themes specific to GLASS. Finally, for flashback scenes from UNBREAKABLE, they used the original score from that film.
“It was an evolution,” Shyamalan says. “West was on the movie for a good eleven months, I think. This was a really big commitment. He moved to Philadelphia, set up his stuff at our offices and at his home in Philadelphia, and just went for it. And he has a really unusual way of approaching it.”
Through the process of Split and Glass, Thordson and Shyamalan found that they are creative kindred spirits, in a way. “Authenticity is our main objective as filmmakers, and everything you hear in the movie is practically done by West,” Shyamalan says. “It’s created by him, synthesized and moved by him in some way. It’s one man’s tastes helping me tell my story, so you’re getting these very strong, bold moves.”
Prior to the opening of the film, I spoke with West Dylan Thordson more in-depth about the trilogy and a score that’s filled with sonic sounds that will resonate with audiences and make you believe superpeople walk among us.
WAMG: The music cue at the end of SPLIT with the big reveal of Bruce Willis and the tie to UNBREAKABLE – it’s all the audience needed. The title SPLIT fills the screen along with your music. Willis’ character didn’t need to utter a word, the audience lost their minds (including me!) Did you already have a sequel in mind when composing for SPLIT?
West Dylan Thordson: Definitely in regard to Split as it’s own entity, but not so much as a film that would lead to a third movie. Early on, Night and I discussed that Split was tied to Unbreakable. There were many conversations about what this meant for our approach to the score. When Unbreakable first came out, I watched it twice in a row. On the first watch, I remember not knowing quite what to think but felt compelled to watch it again. So i did and loved it. This stuck with me. For Split, I wrote a number of cue sketches that had clear and intentional influence from James’ score. Specifically a piece titled ‘Meeting the Others.’ It sort of became my Split-style reply to Unbreakable. Other Unbreakable-influenced ideas were set aside because Night felt strongly that we should primarily strive for something entirely unique to Split. So we ended up focusing the score on not referencing Unbreakable too heavily.
Bruce Willis as David Dunn/The Overseer.
WAMG: How early were you brought onto GLASS?
West Dylan Thordson: I started sketching ideas soon after Night completed the screenplay. Not long after this, he began shooting the film. When they set up shop at the Allentown State Hospital, I spent a lot of time on set. The hospital complex had lots of huge, empty buildings with a tunnel system connecting them. I found numerous vast spaces with fantastic acoustics. So soon after getting there, I brought in an assortment of drums and percussion. On several nights, after the crew fully wrapped, I’d go in and record ideas using a Nagra-style mobile rig with a VR mic and some Coles 4038s. Usually starting from 9pm and going until 4am. The only people around would be a couple roaming security guards. The property was so large, it was almost like no one else was around. Felt very Kubrickian, creepy, and uncomfortable. I must admit though, I relish in that sort of thing. My friend, the violinist Tim Fain, even came there. At the hospital, we recorded much of the violin work used in the score. Mostly in the underground tunnel system, but also in the enormous upstairs auditorium and the actual “Pink Room.” I often turned all the lights off when recording to avoid capturing the fluorescent light buzzing. Tim was admittedly terrified much of the time, but he never once hesitated on continuing. So I have to give Tim huge props on being a true artist and professional!
WAMG: Did you collaborate with James Newton Howard on GLASS, the composer for SPLIT?
West Dylan Thordson: This was discussed a lot early on, but for whatever reason, it was decided not to bring him in. I felt privileged to have the chance to collaborate with James but only had the opportunity to meet him once in person. Really enjoyed our conversation, brief as it was. He’s a fantastic composer and influence.
WAMG: What was it like to work again with M. Night Shyamalan?
West Dylan Thordson: Night is an extremely collaborative filmmaker, and it was an honor to be asked back. Having developed communication with each other helped us immensely. Trust was established. It made it much easier to get on the right path when discussing something into existence like music.
(from left) Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan and Bruce Willis, who plays David Dunn/The Overseer.
WAMG: Can the audience expect a “superhero” type score?
West Dylan Thordson: Not really. Yet I wouldn’t say we completely avoided “superhero” music either. We generally aimed away from a tradition “superhero” score in an attempt for something a bit askew and nonderivative. I feel Night chooses a very difficult approach to filmmaking. He’s after things that are complex and difficult to achieve cinematically, yet not in an esoteric way. He genuinely wants to make films that many people connect to, though veering on the fringe of what many people might accept.
WAMG: Shyamalan’s previous films have a theme. SIGNS was about “faith”. Will the music for GLASS have a theme, like “belief” and believing people have “powers”, whether they are villains or superheroes?
West Dylan Thordson: Thematically, belief and doubt are definitely focal. I’d say acceptance of light and dark, along with a grounded sense of humanity are in there too.
WAMG: Talk to me about your previous work on JOY with David O’Russell?
West Dylan Thordson: David’s an intensely creative person to be around. I’m proud to have worked with him. He definitely wasn’t easy to work with, but I certainly didn’t get into film music because it’s easy. There was never anything predictable with David. His approach was rapidly evolving and re-inventive. It often wasn’t possible to keep up, so it generally seemed best for me to wing it and roll with everything as fast as possible. The moment music was written, it was time to let go. There was no room to get attached to anything I did. In the end, David focused in on music with me that he felt was earnest and sincere. Honestly, this all was a great thing for a film composer to experience, accept, and evolve through.
WAMG: How did you begin composing for film and why you like composing for the medium?
West Dylan Thordson: When I was a child, my grandparent’s farmhouse had an old, somewhat-in-tune, spinet piano next to this huge, wood-enclosed TV set. I loved music with films, TV, and video games, so I would sit at the piano a lot trying to plunk out my versions of things. No one in my family was a studied musician, so I ended up starting out self-taught. As a result, I mostly began in music as a misfit amongst the misfits of the experimental indie band world. Though much of the band music I worked on was very rough around the edges, it felt cinematic at heart. It seemed to naturally spark interest with certain filmmakers. The music supervisor Sue Jacobs was the person who really made it happen for me in the world of film. It’s been a long process, and I’m really just starting. With scoring film, there generally needs to be a willingness for constant adaptation, and an ability to quickly detach from one’s work. Much of what I love about composing for film is the collaborative energy, desperation, and tension of it. Learning to evolve with the ever-changing visions of others. I love that the art form pushes me outside of myself and my head. I love attempting to create music that unearths something within the story that could not be experienced otherwise.
The GLASS soundtrack will be released digitally next Friday, January 18 and is now available for pre-order on iTunes HERE.
(L to R) SAMUEL L. JACKSON, JAMES MCAVOY, BRUCE WILLIS and SARAH PAULSON in “Glass.”
M. Night Shyamalan brings together the narratives of two of his standout originals—2000’s Unbreakable, from Touchstone, and 2016’s Split, from Universal—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: Glass.
From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast.
Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
Joining the all-star cast are Unbreakable’s Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard, who reprise their roles as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, as well as Golden Globe Award winner Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story series).
This riveting culmination of his worldwide blockbusters is produced by Shyamalan and Blumhouse Production’s Jason Blum, who also produced the writer/director’s previous two films for Universal. They produce again with Ashwin Rajan and Marc Bienstock, and Steven Schneider executive produces.
A Blinding Edge Pictures and Blumhouse production, Glass will be released by Universal Pictures in North America on January 18, 2019.
Enter for your chance to win two free passes to the St. Louis advance screening of GLASS. The theatrical sneak preview will be on JANUARY 15 at 7pm.
Answer the following: James McAvoy and Samuel L. Jackson have starred in other Superhero franchises – name those series of movies and their characters.
Add you name, answer and email address in our comments section below.
NO PURCHASE REQUIRED. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.
RATING:GLASS has been rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned – Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13) for violence including some bloody images, thematic elements, and language.
“Real villains are among us…real heroes are within us.”
Here’s a first look at the brand new trailer for director M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming, and long-awaited sequel to UNBREAKABLE… GLASS.
A Blinding Edge Pictures and Blumhouse production, GLASS will be released by Universal Pictures in North America on January 18, 2019, and by Buena Vista International abroad.
Night Shyamalan brings together the narratives of two of his standout originals—2000’s Unbreakable, from Touchstone, and 2016’s Split, from Universal—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: Glass.
From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast.
Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
Joining the all-star cast are Unbreakable’s Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard, who reprise their roles as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, as well as Golden Globe Award winner Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story series).
This riveting culmination of his worldwide blockbusters is produced by Shyamalan and Blumhouse Production’s Jason Blum, who also produced the writer/director’s previous two films for Universal. They produce again with Ashwin Rajan and Marc Bienstock, and Steven Schneider and Kevin Frakes, who executive produce. Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum also serve as executive producers.
“I’ve been waiting for the world to see that we exist”
In theaters on January 18, 2019 is director M. Night Shyamalan’s long awaited followup to UNBREAKABLE… GLASS.
Universal Pictures released an awesome first trailer on Friday during the Comic-Con panel in San Diego.
I… cannot… wait… for… this! We loyal fans of the Oscar-nominated director thought we’d never see a “sequel” to Shyamalan’s 2000 film that put a unique twist on the mythology of superheroes and villains. Twenty years later, we’ll finally get to see what happened to David Dunn and Elijah Price.
M. Night Shyamalan (THE SIXTH SENSE) brings together the narratives of two of his standout originals—2000’s UNBREAKABLE, from Touchstone, and 2016’s SPLIT, from Universal—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: GLASS.
From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast.
Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
Joining the all-star cast are Unbreakable’s Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard, who reprise their roles as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, as well as Golden Globe Award winner Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story series).
This riveting culmination of his worldwide blockbusters is produced by Shyamalan and Blumhouse Production’s Jason Blum, who also produced the writer/director’s previous two films for Universal. They produce again with Ashwin Rajan and Marc Bienstock, and Steven Schneider and Kevin Frakes, who executive produce. Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum also serve as executive producers.
A Blinding Edge Pictures and Blumhouse production, Glass will be released by Universal Pictures in North America on January 18, 2019, and by Buena Vista International abroad.
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) June 29, 2018
Director M. Night Shyamalan released on Friday the first poster for his upcoming movie GLASS. The highly anticipated sequel to SPLIT, and one that takes place in the UNBREAKABLE universe, this first poster shows the characters and their alter-egos.
Official synopsis:
M. Night Shyamalan brings together the narratives of two of his standout originals—2000’s Unbreakable, from Touchstone, and 2016’s Split, from Universal—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: Glass.
From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast.
Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
Joining the all-star cast are Unbreakable’s Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard, who reprise their roles as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, as well as Golden Globe Award winner Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story series).
This riveting culmination of his worldwide blockbusters is produced by Shyamalan and Blumhouse Production’s Jason Blum, who also produced the writer/director’s previous two films for Universal. They produce again with Ashwin Rajan and Marc Bienstock, and Steven Schneider, who executive produces.
A Blinding Edge Pictures and Blumhouse production, Glass will be released by Universal Pictures in North America and by Buena Vista International abroad.
In UNBREAKABLE (2000), Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson starred in a mind-shattering, suspense-filled thriller that stayed with you long after the end of this riveting supernatural film. After David Dunn (Willis) emerges from a horrific train crash as the sole survivor — and without a single scratch on him — he meets a mysterious stranger, Mr. Glass (Jackson). An unsettling stranger who believes comic book heroes walk the earth. A haunting stranger, whose obsession with David will change David’s life forever.
UNBREAKABLE is one of the best Superhero movies to date and was an ingenious backstory from the Oscar-nominated filmmaker.
The finale of SPLIT connected the films setting up the next chapter.
GLASS stars James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis. Universal Pictures will release the film in theaters on January 18, 2019.
The director also mentioned:
I’m so excited to tell you that @GlassMovie will be at #ComicCon. I will be in Hall H on July 20th with the cast! You can expect a surprise as well…
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) June 29, 2018
“He’s done awful things to people and he’ll do awful things things to you!”
When I reviewed SPLIT here at We Are Movie Geeks, I wrote: “…it’s a well-plotted story that takes chances, goes in clever directions, and ratchets up tension.” (read all of my review HERE)
Now you can own the SPLIT Blu-ray. We Are Movie Geeks has seven copies to give away.All you have to do is leave a comment answering this question: What is your favorite movie from director M. Night Shyamalan? (mine is THE HAPPENING!). It’s so easy!
Good Luck!
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES. NO DUPLICATE ADDRESSES.
2. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES.
Writer/director/producer M. Night Shyamalan returns with an original thriller that delves into the mysterious recesses of one man’s fractured, gifted mind. Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has revealed 23 personalities to his psychiatrist, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls, Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him – as well as everyone around him – as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.
The new Blu-ray has these special features:
Digital Copy of Split (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)
Includes UltraViolet (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)
Director M. Night Shyamalan’s hit film SPLIT was number one at this weekend’s box office and the Oscar-nominated filmmaker announced that a sequel is in the works.
The film, which has taken the number one spot for 3 consecutive weeks, took in another $14.5 million adding to its $98.7 million domestic total. Worldwide, the thriller has earned $142.7 million to date.
Set in the same universe as Shyamalan’s other intriguing film, UNBREAKABLE, fans have turned his latest into a phenomenon.
I have an 11 page outline for my next film in my bag. I can’t tell you what it is, but If you’ve seen #Split…
Shot in Philadelphia, Bruce Willis’ (THE SIXTH SENSE) surprise cameo at the end of the supernatural thriller firmly sets the movie in the comic-book world of Mr. Glass and David Dunn.
Shyamalan collaborated with Willis in 2000 on the film UNBREAKABLE, alongside Samuel L. Jackson. A film ahead of its time, UNBREAKABLE has become an underground hit in the years since its release, with fans begging for a sequel.
SPLIT delves into the mysterious recesses of one man’s fractured, gifted mind. Following last year’s breakout hit THE VISIT, Shyamalan reunites with producer Jason Blum (The Purge and Insidious series, The Gift).
Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities—each with unique physical attributes—to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others.
Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy, THE WITCH), Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him—as well as everyone around him—as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.
M. Night Shyamalan’s suspense thriller SPLIT was the number one movie in North America, scaring up an impressive $46 million in its debut for the 3rd weekend in January.
Shyamalan returns to the captivating grip of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs with Split, an original thriller that delves into the mysterious recesses of one man’s fractured, gifted mind. Following 2015’s breakout hit The Visit, Shyamalan reunites with producer Jason Blum (The Purge and Insidious series, The Gift) for the film.
While the mental divisions of those with dissociative identity disorder have long fascinated and eluded science, it is believed that some can also manifest unique physical attributes for each personality, a cognitive and physiological prism within a single being.
Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch), Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him—as well as everyone around him—as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.
Back Lot Music has released the soundtrack album for Universal Pictures’ SPLIT. The soundtrack includes new music from composer West Dylan Thordson, and the digital soundtrack release coincides with the film’s domestic release today. A vinyl version of the album is planned for later this year.
Thordson is a composer and bandleader who got his start in the Twin Cities music scene before moving to New York and developing his career as a composer of film scores.
After leading the band, A Whisper in the Noise for many years, he caught his first big break when Shyamalan featured Thordson’s version of Bob Dylan’s classic “The Times They Are A-Changin'” at the end of Shyamalan’s film Lady in the Water.
Though Thordson’s move to New York was meant to be temporary, until the end of working on the film Foxcatcher, his rise in the ranks of film composers continued in 2015 when he scored every episode of the HBO hit series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. It was this series that lead Thordson to working on Split, after Shyamalan and team became fans of his score from the series.
Discussing his work with Shyamalan on the film, Thordson says, “Night was meticulous as a director on SPLIT, seeing the score’s role as shadowing the emotional journey of the characters on screen as the story unfolded. As for the sonic colors, we heavily focused on keeping the timbre animalistic and raw.”
Writer/director/producer M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN returns to the captivating grip of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs with Split, an original film that delves into the mysterious recesses of one man’s fractured, gifted mind.
Following last year’s breakout hit THE VISIT, Shyamalan reunites with producer JASON BLUM (The Purge and Insidious series, The Gift) for the thriller being hailed as “Shyamalan’s most terrifying film to date.”
Though Kevin (JAMES MCAVOY, X-Men series, Wanted) has evidenced 23 personalities—each with unique physical attributes—to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Tony Award winner BETTY BUCKLEY, TV’s Oz), there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others.
Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey (ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, The Witch), Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him—as well as everyone around him—as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.
For the film The Guardian calls “a masterful blend of Hitchcock and horror,” Shyamalan and Blum reassemble their core team from THE VISIT, their wildly successful 2015 collaboration.
SPLIT opens in theaters on January 20, 2017.
WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of SPLIT on TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
Answer the following:
The director penned the part of Dr. Fletcher with seasoned stage and screen star Betty Buckley in mind. “Night is full of joie de vivre and mischief, and I love mischief,” says Buckley. She also appreciates how Shyamalan taps actors with strong theater backgrounds. “Night is smart to use actors like James McAvoy who have roots in theater,” she commends. “Artists in that arena have an understanding of storytelling and discipline, and Night brings that craft to his filmmaking.”
What film did Buckley and Shyamalan previously collaborate on?
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OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.
This film has been rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and behavior, violence and some language.
