This post contains SPOILERS for Split
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M. Night Shyamalan rebounded from years of critical mishaps and flops in 2015 with the found footage film The Visit, but his comeback went into full effect earlier this year with the release of Split. Starring James McAvoy as a man with an extreme case of dissociative identity disorder, the thriller earned Shyamalan his best reviews in more than a decade and is currently one of the biggest box office hits of 2017. To date, it's grossed $221.9 million worldwide on a measly $9 million production budget, more than enough to warrant the sequel that Shyamalan is now developing.
As many know, Split featured one of the director's greatest twists by revealing at the very end it was something of a sequel to Shyamalan's 2000 realistic superhero film Unbreakable, serving as an origin story for McAvoy's villain "The Horde." Since then, moviegoers have been anxious to watch Split again, especially as the followup starts to gain traction. The film's theatrical run is just about over, but very soon viewers will be able to bring Kevin, Hedwig, Barry, and the other personalities home.
In a press release, Universal announced Split will hit digital HD on April 4, 2017 and the Blu-ray will be released two weeks later on April 18 in a combo pack that also includes the DVD and UltraViolet download code. As expected, there will also be a bevy of special features on the disc, a list of which you can see below:
- Alternate Ending
- Deleted Scenes
- The Making of Split: Filmmakers, cast, and crew discuss what attracted them to the project and how they were able to bring such a unique premise to life
- The Many Faces of James McAvoy: A look at how James McAvoy approached the challenge of playing so many different identities
- The Filmmaker's Eye - M. Night Shyamalan: Director and writer M. Night Shyamalan has a singular, big-picture vision of his projects. Producers, cast, and crew discuss how Night's process gives them the freedom to execute their roles to the fullest
Of these, the alternate ending will probably be the one that generates the most interest. The film's official conclusion was one of the most talked-about movie moments of this young year, and many will be curious to see what else Shyamalan had in mind. The director has mentioned in the past the Kevin character was from an early draft of Unbreakable, so he definitely had a connection between the two in mind from the outset, but the exact link may have changed throughout Split's development. Cinephiles love to debate the pros and cons of sequences left on the cutting room floor, so it will be fascinating to watch it all play out.
The featurettes here should also make for fun viewing, particularly the one detailing McAvoy. The actor earned widespread raves for his performance, as he was able to find the proper balance between a variety of individuals that all had their unique traits. In one scene, McAvoy conveyed the naivety of Hedwig and then shifted gears to the sinister nature of Dennis. It was truly a transformative turn that several thought was awards-worthy, and learning more about the actor's process to portraying Kevin should be a treat. Hopefully, the Horde will be able to go against David Dunn at some point in the future and bring this trilogy to a compelling conclusion.
NEXT: Split Ending Explained
Source: Universal
