M Night Shyamalan's 'Unbreakable' Sequel Will Be Titled 'Glass', Coming In 2019
M Night Shyamalan has announced that Universal Pictures will release his next film, an Unbreakable sequel titled Glass, on January 18, 2019. Hit the jump for more info including returning cast/characters.
The filmmaker revealed the news in a stream of updates on Twitter this morning.
Okay. Here we go. Finished the new script. It's taken 17 years but I can finally answer the #1 question I get, "Are you making a f#&@ing sequel to Unbreakable or what?" My new film is the sequel to #Unbreakable AND #Split. It was always my dream to have both films collide in this third film. The iconic Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn. The incomparable Samuel L Jackson will return as Elijah Price/Mr. Glass. The virtuoso James McAvoy returns as Kevin Wendell Crumb, Patricia, Dennis, Hedwig, Barry, Jade, Orwell, The Beast, Heinrich, Norma, Pol-And the prodigy, Anya Taylor Joy will return as Casey Cooke. I'm reteaming with my partners Jason Blum and Universal Pictures for this crazy comic book thriller.And the film is called GLASS... Universal Pictures will release #Glass on January 18, 2019 all over the world. How's that for not keeping a secret!
I have to admit, Glass is a fucking awesome title for an Unbreakable sequel. I'm a huge fan of the original movie and had all but given up hope for Unbreakable 2 until earlier this year when it was revealed Shyamalan was working to make it happen. Of course, the big reveal came (spoiler alert, highlight to reveal) in the ending of Split, which revealed that both films took place in the same universe.
An Unbreakable sequel has been talked about for the last seventeen years with star Bruce Willis initially flaming the fires with the hopes for a trilogy of Unbreakable films. Touchstone Pictures originally turned down the idea for a sequel because of the film's poor box office performance, but the movie developed a huge fandom on home video.
After the very successful release of Split, Shyamalan expressed hope for a third installment, saying:
"I hope [a third Unbreakable film happens]. The answer is yes. I'm just such a wimp sometimes. I don't know what's going to happen when I go off in my room, a week after this film opens, to write the script. But I'm going to start writing. [I have] a really robust outline, which is pretty intricate. But now the standards for my outlines are higher. I need to know I've won already. I'm almost there but I'm not quite there."
Recently Shyamalan discussed what's possibly become of David and Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson):
My thought bubble would be—again don't hold me to this—but Elijah never got out of the institution. He was just a guy who believed this, but David doesn't quite 100% believe it that way, he just thinks that he is particularly meant to do this and is kind of faded a little bit. Like this idea of comic books that Elijah was saying the comic book world is based on reality, that it's real—there's no other evidence for this. It's this crazy guy who has this bone disorder who's in an insane asylum. But then this comes up and he's like, 'Oh my God, he's right.'
Shyamalan has also said that the Unbreakable sequel "needs to have its own idea."
"The high concept of that final movie can't be, 'It's the final Unbreakable.' There has to be something about that that makes it its own movie... That's when I'll be happiest, is when it's its own movie. In a way, it could be watched by itself."
Shyamalan has also said that his outline for the Unbreakable sequel is his longest outline yet, admitting the film needs to be "kind of epic."
It's also interesting to note that Universal Pictures and not Disney's Touchtone Pictures will be distributing the sequel. What do you think of the Unbreakable sequel title? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.