Indian-American filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan wrote, directed, and starred in his first project, the independent film Praying with Anger, while he was a student at New York University; inspired by his cultural upbringing, the movie was released in 1992 and earned him praise at film festivals. His next film, the comedy-drama Wide Awake about a grieving child struggling with his Catholic faith, was completed in 1995 but shelved by the studio Miramax until 1998. During this period, he did an uncredited rewrite of the script for the romantic-comedy She's All That that allegedly "got the movie green-lit" and co-wrote the live-action/animated film Stuart Little (both released in 1999). Also in 1999, he wrote and directed the supernatural drama The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient claims he can see and talk to the dead. The three projects were commercially successful, with The Sixth Sense becoming the second-highest grossing film of the year and earning Shyamalan international attention and name recognition from critics and audiences and Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
He reunited with Willis on the thriller Unbreakable about a seemingly average man, David Dunn, who learns he has superhuman abilities. The film co-starred Samuel L. Jackson and was released in 2000. Like Unbreakable, his science-fiction thriller Signs (2002) and period drama The Village (2004) found financial success and solidified him as a filmmaker known for his twist endings and cameo appearances. The next decade, however, saw a series of critical misfires with Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), and the higher-budgeted The Last Airbender (2010) and After Earth (2013). In 2015, he had a career resurgence after partnering with Universal Pictures on the found footage horror film The Visit, which made $98.5million on a $5million budget he self-funded by taking out a loan against his estate. He worked with Universal again on Split (2016) and its sequel Glass (2019), which with Unbreakable comprise the Eastrail 177 Trilogy; Old (2021); and Knock at the Cabin (2023). He partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures for his latest films: Trap (2024) and Remain (2026). Since The Visit, he has partly self-financed his films. In television, he directed the pilot of Wayward Pines (2015) and showran Servant (2019–2023).
Films + Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 1992 Student film 1998 1999 Co-written with Greg Brooker 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2013 Co-written with Gary Whitta 2015 2016 2019 2021 2023 Co-written with Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman 2024 2026 Story co-written with Nicholas Sparks
Miscellaneous credits Year Title Credit 1999 Uncredited rewrite 2024 Producer
Television + Year Title Director Executive producer Notes 2015–16 Episode: "Where Paradise Is Home" 2019–23 Episodes: "Reborn", "Jericho", "2:00", "Donkey", "Awake"
Music videos + Year Title Director Producer Artist 2016 Andra Day 2021 Saleka
Acting credits + Year Title Role Notes 1992 Dev Raman 1999 Dr. Hill 2000 Jai Credited as "stadium drug dealer" 2002 Ray Reddy 2004 Jay Credited as "guard at desk" 2006 Vick Ran 2007 Himself Episode: "Sorry, Harvey" 2008 Joey A voice role played on a phone call made by a character 2010 Firebender at Earth Prison Camp Uncredited 2016 Jai 2019 Jai 2019 Delivery man Episode: "Reborn" uncredited 2019, 2020 Himself Episodes: "The Pool: Part Two" and "A Hell of a Week: Part Two" 2021 Theo Credited as "hotel van driver" 2023 Infomercial host 2024 Spotter Lady Raven's uncle 2026 Nash
Critical and public response + Year Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore Each film's score can be accessed from the website's search bar. 1992 Praying with Anger 1998 Wide Awake 45% (33 reviews) 1999 86% (158 reviews) 64 (35 reviews) A– 2000 Unbreakable 71% (174 reviews) 62 (31 reviews) C 2002 Signs 76% (239 reviews) 59 (36 reviews) B 2004 43% (218 reviews) 44 (40 reviews) C 2006 Lady in the Water 25% (212 reviews) 36 (36 reviews) B– 2008 17% (185 reviews) 34 (38 reviews) D 2010 5% (192 reviews) 20 (33 reviews) C 2013 After Earth 12% (213 reviews) 33 (41 reviews) B 2015 68% (229 reviews) 55 (34 reviews) B– 2016 Split 79% (311 reviews) 62 (47 reviews) B+ 2019 Glass 37% (398 reviews) 43 (53 reviews) B 2021 Old 50% (313 reviews) 55 (52 reviews) C+ 2023 Knock at the Cabin 67% (237 reviews) 63 (54 reviews) C 2024 Trap 57% (249 reviews) 52 (46 reviews) C+
See also List of awards and nominations received by M. Night Shyamalan
References
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