M. Night Shyamalan is no stranger to TV, having brought the science fiction series Wayward Pines to the small screen on FOX. Shyamalan also had plans to bring back HBO's anthology horror series Tales From the Crypt for TNT, with the unique approach of soliciting story ideas from fans via Wattpad, but that series seems to have stalled for the moment due to some unforeseen rights issues.
With the latter series in a holding pattern at the moment, Shyamalan has some space on his schedule that needs filled, and apparently he's interested in getting back to television. The filmmaker wants to get in on the action with an existing series that made plenty of fans during its first season last year on Netflix. And the series Shyamalan wants to work on seems like it would be right up his alley.
According to Digital Spy, the man who made his name with supernatural and sci-fi thrillers like The Sixth Sense, The Village, and Signs is interested in directing a season 2 episode of the Netflix series Stranger Things. The creative team behind the series, Matt and Ross Duffer, have collaborated with Shyamalan in the past and the director would like to continue the pairing
"My boys who do Stranger Things, they did Wayward Pines for me. They were round my house and I was like, 'Well, you can hire me back guys!'"
The Duffer Brothers wrote several episodes of Wayward Pines, and have now brought all the spooky tricks they learned there to Stranger Things, a show that feels like it was created by the long-lost child of John Carpenter and Steven Spielberg. Shyamalan himself has been compared to Spielberg, and certainly was influenced by the legendary filmmaker, so it makes sense that he would be attracted to a show that so blatantly pays homage to E.T. and other films from the acclaimed director.
Season 2 of Stranger Things will reportedly be bigger and darker than season 1, though plot details are being kept under wraps. Given the move to scale up the series, it might make sense to bring in a filmmaker with plenty of experience working on Hollywood blockbusters. With his skill at directing supernatural material, Shyamalan would be a solid choice to bring an even greater spook factor to a show that's already pretty creepy at times. Perhaps the Duffer Brothers would even let Shyamalan write his own Stranger Things episode. Only time will tell if the director will get his chance at bringing more '80s nostalgia to Netflix.
Stranger Things season 2 is set to premiere on Netflix this year.
Source: Digital Spy
