Director M. Night Shyamalan Finds Josh Hartnett's Dark Side In The Trap Trailer

Guess who's back ... back again? With no disrespect intended towards Slim Shady, he's got nothing on the run that M. Night Shyamalan is currently on. The horror-focused writer/director might remain as divisive as ever, but he's all but put to rest any doubts about whether he still has the juice or not (as the kids say). After wrapping up his "Eastrail 177" trilogy — that's "Unbreakable," "Split," and "Glass" for the uninitiated — and getting the franchise fever out of his system, Shyamalan has focused almost exclusively on bold adaptations like "Old" and "Knock at the Cabin." Meanwhile, on the television side of things, he brought the Apple TV+ series "Servant" to an unsettling end and has even found time to watch his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan get ready to make her feature directing debut with the upcoming "The Watchers."

Now, in what's shaping up to be a fun box office rivalry to keep an eye on later this year, the elder Shyamalan has his own production on tap for us in the coming months: "Trap." In classic Shyamalan fashion, we had absolutely no idea what the movie would actually be about until very recently. This year's CinemaCon finally revealed the basic plot of the story, in which Josh Hartnett (of recent "Oppenheimer" fame) stars as a father who takes his young daughter to a concert, only to discover that nothing is what it seems. A serial killer is on the loose, apparently, and the entire event is actually a well-laid trap in order to capture the criminal. But in a twist to conquer all twists ... well, if you don't already know, we'll let the footage speak for itself.

Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for "Trap," which you can watch above!

Let's just put it this way: If it seems like the marketing has already given away a major plot point in an M. Night Shyamalan film, viewers can likely rest assured that there will be far bigger twists to come. Still, we can definitely say that most of us wouldn't have seen the reveal coming that Josh Hartnett's loving and slightly silly father was actually the killer in question all along. With that out of the way, however, there's just no telling how the rest of "Trap" will unfold.

"Trap" comes from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, who has since left his familiar home with Universal Pictures for the (debatably) greener pastures over at Warner Bros. with a first-look deal signed early last year. The new film will be his first production stemming from that lucrative deal, along with his usual Philadelphia-based production company Blinding Edge. At the time, Shyamalan described the big move accordingly:

"Where I write and direct is my home. Disney and Universal, where I've made most of my films, will always be home and family to me. Warner Bros. has a storied history of cinema. Through its recent experiences, the company has rediscovered its love and appreciation for filmmakers, and the impact of the theatrical experience. We all win when movies succeed in theaters. I believe David Zaslav, Michael De Luca, and Pam Abdy have dedicated themselves to unique filmmakers, and to filling theaters all around the world for years to come."

Shyamalan will spring "Trap" into theaters on August 9, 2024.