WARNING: Major spoilers for Split follow
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The M. Night Shyamalan comeback tour is in full effect with Split, the breakout hit of early 2017. After receiving the director's best reviews in more than a decade, the thriller has become a box office smash, grossing $112.5 million worldwide on a minuscule $9 million production budget. With the film an undisputed success, Shyamalan will likely have an opportunity to make the Split sequel he's been planning, and all signs are pointing to that being his next project.
Audiences are very interested to see that followup, especially given how Split concluded. In arguably the filmmaker's best twist ending since The Sixth Sense, Split's final scene revealed that the movie was actually an Unbreakable sequel all along, showing Bruce Willis' David Dunn learning of Kevin Wendell Crumb while out at a diner one day. Those excited to see Dunn square off against "The Beast" on the big screen will be pleased to learn Shyamalan is hard at work on that script.
Taking to Twitter, Shyamalan revealed that he currently has an 11-page treatment for his next film. While he doesn't outright say what it is (to avoid spoiling Split for his followers who haven't seen it yet), it's fairly obvious what he's referring to. Check out the post below:
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...— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) February 4, 2017
In the years since its initial release, Shyamalan's comic book inspired Unbreakable has earned a sterling reputation within the filmgoing community. It's seen as one of the first attempts to tell a superhero story seriously, arriving five years before Christopher Nolan rebooted Batman in Batman Begins. Since the core concept seemed ripe for followups, fans (including stars Willis and Samuel L. Jackson) have been hoping to see future installments in this burgeoning franchise for a while. Seventeen years later, dreams of an Unbreakable trilogy being made are one step closer to coming true, and it's exciting that Shyamalan is getting this opportunity. He has gone through his fair share of ups and downs throughout his career, and it has to come as a great relief to him that audiences and critics responded strongly to Split. Viewers are now intrigued by what Shyamalan has to offer.
Obviously, interest in superhero properties has never been higher, so Split 2/Unbreakable 3 (or whatever it ends up being called) should be arriving in theaters at precisely the right time. There are numerous ways Shyamalan can take the story, particularly because he's working with a fully formed hero and villain, handling their respective origins in separate films. Though demand for the Split sequel will be in great supply, it sounds like Shyamalan is (smartly) going to take his time when crafting the script and not rush anything. He's previously mentioned his standards for outlines are "higher" now, which bodes well for the next Unbreakable film. After shocking the world with another revelation, it'd be a disappointment if the grand finale came up short.
NEXT: How Realistic Is Split?
Source: M. Night Shyamalan
