M. Night Shyamalan#Personal life

Shyamalan was born in Mahé, India, a town in the Union Territory of Puducherry.{{Cite news |last=Pais |first=Arthur J |date=February 20, 2009 |title=The need for a Dev Patel in the Life of Pi |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2009/feb/20need-for-a-dev-patel-in-the-life-of-pi.htm |access-date=August 17, 2024 |work=Rediff.com}}{{Cite book |last=Bamberger |first=Michael |title=The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale |publisher=Gotham Books |year=2007 |isbn=9781592402472 |location=New York |pages=150}} His father, Dr. Nelliyattu C. Shyamalan, is a Malayali neurologist from Mahé and a JIPMER graduate;{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} his mother, Dr. Jayalakshmi Shyamalan, a Tamil from Chennai, is an OB-GYN.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mnight.com/bio.html|title=Biography – M. Night Shyamalan Online|website=Mnight.com|access-date=October 22, 2017|archive-date=October 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203557/http://www.mnight.com/bio.html|url-status=live}}

Shyamalan's parents immigrated to the United States when he was six weeks old.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-01 |title=M Night Shyamalan American Filmmaker |url=https://www.globalindian.com/story/filmmaker/m-night-shyamalan-the-indian-american-director/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=The Global Indian |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201005210/https://www.globalindian.com/story/filmmaker/m-night-shyamalan-the-indian-american-director/ |url-status=live }} Shyamalan was raised Hindu in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania.{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2001008,00.html|title=10 Questions for M. Night Shyamalan|first=M. Night|last=Shyamalan|date=July 12, 2010|magazine=Time|access-date=September 13, 2015|archive-date=February 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223224936/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2001008,00.html|url-status=live}} He attended the private Roman Catholic grammar school Waldron Mercy Academy. He felt like an outsider and remembers that teachers would say that whoever was not baptized would go to hell.{{Cite magazine |last=Farley |first=Christopher |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,998594,00.html |title=Cinema: A New Day Dawns For Night |magazine=Time |date=November 27, 2000 |access-date=April 4, 2021 |archive-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921022810/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,998594,00.html |url-status=live }} When he was a student there, a teacher once became upset because he "got the best grade in religion class and [he] wasn't Catholic". He later attended the Episcopal Academy, a private Episcopal high school located at the time in Merion Station, Pennsylvania.{{cite web | title = The Future of Episcopal Academy: About the Move | url = http://www.episcopalacademy.org/newcampus/aboutthemove/pressreleases.html | access-date = 2007-12-19 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080402095054/http://www.episcopalacademy.org/newcampus/aboutthemove/pressreleases.html |archive-date = 2008-04-02}}{{cite magazine article |last=Jacobs |first=Melissa |title=The Shyamalans: An Exclusive Interview with the Main Line Power Couple |url=https://mainlinetoday.com/life-style/the-shyamalans-an-exclusive-interview-with-the-main-line-power-couple/ |website=Main Line Today |publisher=Today Media |date=July 24, 2014}}

Shyamalan earned the New York University Merit Scholarship in 1988, and was also a National Merit Scholar.{{Cite web |last=Edelstein |first=David |url=https://nymag.com/movies/reviews/17661/ |title=M. Narcissus Shyamalan |website=New York Magazine |date=July 16, 2006 |access-date=July 23, 2012 |archive-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630222416/http://nymag.com/movies/reviews/17661/ |url-status=live }} Shyamalan is an alumnus of New York University Tisch School of the Arts in Manhattan,{{Cite web |url=http://about.tisch.nyu.edu/page/deanMessage.html |publisher=about.tisch.nyu.edu |title=Dean's Message |access-date=September 9, 2011 |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903040944/http://about.tisch.nyu.edu/page/deanMessage.html |url-status=dead }} graduating in 1992.{{cite web |title=M. Night Shyamalan '92 to Become Jury President of the Berlinale 2022 |url=https://tisch.nyu.edu/alumni/alumni-news/m--night-shyamalan--92-to-become-jury-president-of-the-berlinale |website=New York University Tisch School of the Arts |language=en |date=October 21, 2021}} When reading about the Lakota, he discovered a person whose name was translated as 'Night' in English. He used Night thereafter instead of his original middle name, Nelliyattu. The name change was also in his view to draw audiences to his films with just his name, as with Hitchcock and Spielberg.{{Cite magazine |last=Buschel |first=Bruce |date=2000-12-07 |title=M. Night Shyamalan: The Super Natural |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/m-night-shyamalan-the-super-natural-72347/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Sims |first=David |date=2024-07-30 |title=How M. Night Shyamalan Came Back From the Dead |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/09/m-night-shyamalan-interview-trap-movie/679158/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |work=The Atlantic |language=en |issn=2151-9463}}

Shyamalan had an early desire to be a filmmaker when he was given a Super 8 camera at a young age. Though his father wanted him to follow in the family practice of medicine, his mother encouraged him to follow his passion. By the time he was seventeen, he had made forty-five home movies. On each DVD release of his films, beginning with The Sixth Sense and with the exception of Lady in the Water, he has included a scene from one of these childhood movies, which, he feels, represents his first attempt at the same kind of film.{{Cite web |title=M Night Shyamalan Malayali Holloywood Film Director - Pictures Biog and Films |url=http://www.learn-malayalam.com/M-Night-Shyamalan.html |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=www.learn-malayalam.com |archive-date=June 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626190646/http://www.learn-malayalam.com/M-Night-Shyamalan.html |url-status=live }}

File:M. Night Shyamalan 2008 - still 40580 crop.jpg in 2008.]]

Shyamalan made his first film, the semi-autobiographical drama Praying with Anger, while still a student at NYU, using money borrowed from family and friends.Bamberger, Ibid., p. 19. He wrote and directed his second movie, Wide Awake. His parents were the film's associate producers. The drama dealt with a ten-year-old Catholic schoolboy (Joseph Cross) who, after the death of his grandfather (Robert Loggia), searches for God. The film's supporting cast included Dana Delany and Denis Leary as the boy's parents, as well as Rosie O'Donnell, Julia Stiles, and Camryn Manheim. Wide Awake was filmed in a school Shyamalan attended as a child[http://www.answers.com/topic/m-night-shyamalan Answers.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813001705/http://www.answers.com/topic/m-night-shyamalan |date=August 13, 2006 }} – Wide Awake. and earned 1999 Young Artist Award nominations for Best Drama, and, for Cross, Best Performance.[http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms20.htm Young Artists Award] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907122639/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms20.htm |date= September 7, 2013 }} – Past Nominations Listing. Only in limited release, the film grossed $305,704 in theaters, against a $6 million budget.[https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1998/WIDEA.php The Numbers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214173209/http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1998/WIDEA.php |date=December 14, 2013 }} – Wide Awake Box Office Data.

That same year Shyamalan co-wrote the screenplay for Stuart Little with Greg Brooker. In 2013, he revealed he was the ghostwriter for the 1999 film She's All That, a teen comedy starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook.{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/film/m-night-shyamalan-reveals-he-ghost-wrote-she-s-all-880451#3SYmDvZof510xWCG.99|title=M Night Shyamalan reveals he ghost-wrote 'She's All That'|work=NME|date=June 11, 2013|first=Jamie|last=Crossan|access-date=July 16, 2018|archive-date=July 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717043108/https://www.nme.com/news/film/m-night-shyamalan-reveals-he-ghost-wrote-she-s-all-880451#3SYmDvZof510xWCG.99|url-status=live}} On June 17, 2013, Jack Lechner (who served as Miramax's head of development in the late 1990s) confirmed that both Shyamalan and R. Lee Fleming, Jr. contributed to the script: Fleming wrote the initial script that Miramax bought while Shyamalan did an uncredited rewrite (doing more than "a polish") that got the film green-lit. Lechner reiterated that content from both writers was included in the final cut of the film.{{Cite magazine |date=June 17, 2013 |first=Hillary |last=Busis |title=M. Night Shyamalan and 'She's All That': Did he really write it? |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/06/17/m-night-shyamalan-shes-all-that/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-date=November 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124015237/http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/06/17/m-night-shyamalan-shes-all-that/ |url-status=live }}

Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis, which became the second-highest grossing horror movie of all time.{{cite web |last1=Bean |first1=Travis |title=The Highest-Grossing Horror Movies Of All Time |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbean/2019/10/03/the-highest-grossing-horror-movies-of-all-time/#6def8a68e4d3 |website=Forbes |date=October 3, 2019 |access-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-date=October 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005194612/https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbean/2019/10/03/the-highest-grossing-horror-movies-of-all-time/#6def8a68e4d3 |url-status=live }} The Sixth Sense was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.{{Cite web |title=2000 Academy Awards {{!}} Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2000/R |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=www.oscars.org |language=en}}

In July 2000, on The Howard Stern Show, Shyamalan said he had met with Spielberg and was in early talks to write the script for the fourth Indiana Jones film. This would have given Shyamalan a chance to work with his longtime idol.[http://www.premiere.com/movienews/3372/indiana-jones-and-the-curse-of-development-hell-page2.html Premiere.com – "Indiana Jones and the Curse of Development Hell", By Ann Donahue] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070618165401/http://www.premiere.com/movienews/3372/indiana-jones-and-the-curse-of-development-hell-page2.html |date=June 18, 2007 }}. After the film fell through, Shyamalan later said it was too "tricky" to arrange and "not the right thing" for him to do.Science Fiction Weekly, {{Volume needed|c=y|date=March 2013}}

Shyamalan followed The Sixth Sense by writing and directing Unbreakable (2000), again starring Willis, a stealth superhero film within a thriller, which was both critically and financially successful.

Shyamalan's name was linked with the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but it conflicted with the production of Unbreakable. In July 2006, while doing press tours for Lady in the Water, Shyamalan expressed he remained interested in directing one of the last two Harry Potter films: "The themes that run through it ... the empowering of children, a positive outlook ... you name it, it falls in line with my beliefs", Shyamalan said. "I enjoy the humor in it. When I read the first Harry Potter and was thinking about making it, I had a whole different vibe in my head of it".Otto, Jeff (July 14, 2006). [http://movies.ign.com/articles/718/718799p1.html "Potter in the Water? Shyamalan interested in magical franchise"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224171621/http://movies.ign.com/articles/718/718799p1.html |date=February 24, 2007 }}. IGN.

His next film, Signs, was released in 2002. The film stars Mel Gibson as a former Episcopalian priest who regains his faith in God during an alien invasion. It was both critically and financially successful and grossed $408 million from a budget of $72 million.{{Cite web |title=Signs |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1685161473/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=Box Office Mojo}}

Shyamalan next directed The Village (2004), about an isolated community living in the woods. Although it received mixed reviews,{{cite web |title=The Village (2004) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/village |access-date=October 20, 2019 |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media}} it was financially successful as it grossed $257 million from a budget of $60 million.{{Cite web |title=The Village |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1132037633/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=Box Office Mojo}}

File:Night Shyamalan-2.jpg at the Spanish premiere of The Village (in the San Sebastián International Film Festival, 2006).]]

After the release of The Village in 2004, Shyamalan had been planning a film adaptation of Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi with 20th Century Fox, but later backed out so that he could make Lady in the Water. In an interview he said about his reasons for dropping out of that project:{{cite magazine |last=Schwartz |first=Missy |title=Catching up with M. Night Shyamalan at Tribeca |url=https://ew.com/article/2006/05/03/catching-m-night-shyamalan-tribeca/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=December 5, 2019 |date=May 3, 2006 |archive-date=December 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205195509/https://ew.com/article/2006/05/03/catching-m-night-shyamalan-tribeca/ |url-status=live }}

{{Blockquote

|text=I love that book. I mean, it's basically [the story of] a kid born in the same city as me [Mahe, India] — it almost felt predestined. But I was hesitant because the book has kind of a twist ending. And I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience. Whereas if someone else did it, it would be much more satisfying, I think. Expectations, you've got to be aware of them. I'm wishing them all great luck. I hope they make a beautiful movie.

}}

Released in 2006, Lady in the Water, a bedtime story about a water nymph and an apartment superintendent, was both critically and financially unsuccessful, only grossing $72 million worldwide from a budget of $70 million.

Next was the film The Happening, a science fiction thriller about an inexplicable natural disaster causing mass suicides, featuring a teacher and his wife fleeing from contaminated cities into the countryside. It was critically unsuccessful but financially successful as it grossed $163 million from a budget of $48 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/was-the-happening-supposed-to-be-taken-seriously-1798243486|title=Was the Happening supposed to be taken seriously?|website=Film.avclub.com|date=January 26, 2016|access-date=December 24, 2020|archive-date=August 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828011627/https://film.avclub.com/was-the-happening-supposed-to-be-taken-seriously-1798243486|url-status=live}}{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=0949731|title=The Happening|access-date=October 18, 2021}}{{cbignore}}

In July 2008, it was announced that Shyamalan had partnered with Media Rights Capital to form a production company called Night Chronicles. Shyamalan would produce, but not direct, one film a year for three years.{{cite news | url=https://variety.com/2008/film/news/night-falls-for-media-rights-1117989271/ | work=Variety | title=Night falls for Media Rights | first=Michael | last=Fleming | date=July 21, 2008 | access-date=April 17, 2020 | archive-date=July 22, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722020939/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117989271.html?categoryid=1237&cs=1 | url-status=live }} The first of the three films was Devil, a supernatural thriller directed by siblings John and Drew Dowdle. The script was written by Brian Nelson, based on an original idea from Shyamalan.{{cite news | url=https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/mrc-shyamalan-dance-with-devil-1117994794/ | title=MRC, Shyamalan dance with 'Devil' | access-date=January 3, 2009 | work=Variety | first=Michael | last=Fleming | date=October 28, 2008 | archive-date=July 27, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727190913/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117994794.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=shyamalan | url-status=live }} The movie was about a group of people stuck in an elevator with the devil, and starred Chris Messina.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsinfilm.com/2009/10/19/details-on-shyamalan-story-devil/|title=Details on Shyamalan Story 'Devil'|access-date=October 19, 2009|archive-date=October 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022194623/http://www.newsinfilm.com/2009/10/19/details-on-shyamalan-story-devil/|url-status=live}} The film was not previewed by critics before its release.

In 2010, he directed The Last Airbender, based on the first season of the Nickelodeon TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was critically unsuccessful—with significant criticism aimed at its casting of white actors in Asian and Native American-inspired roles, yet was a financial success, grossing $319 million from a budget of $150 million. It is now widely considered to be one of the worst films of all time.{{Cite web |title=Bad Movies: The 100 Worst Movies of All Time |url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/worst-movies-of-all-time/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=editorial.rottentomatoes.com |language=en-US}}

In 2013, Shyamalan directed the film After Earth, based on a script by Gary Whitta and starring Will Smith and his son, Jaden. It was received poorly by critics, but was financially successful, making nearly $244 million against a budget of $130 million. Shyamalan later described his thinking in 2013 as full of doubts, introspection and questioning.{{r|hiatt20181220}}

Shyamalan announced in January 2014 that he would be working again with Bruce Willis on a film titled Labor of Love.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/01/berlin-sixth-senses-m-night-shyamalan-bruce-willis-re-team-for-labor-of-love-673107/|title=M. Night Shyamalan And Bruce Willis Re-Team For 'Labor Of Love'|date=January 29, 2014|website=Deadline Hollywood|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|access-date=March 15, 2023|archive-date=March 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315172008/https://deadline.com/2014/01/berlin-sixth-senses-m-night-shyamalan-bruce-willis-re-team-for-labor-of-love-673107/|url-status=live}} As of March 2022, and the retirement of Willis, this film had yet to be produced.

Shyamalan's reputation was poor and most Hollywood studios passed on his self-funded, low-budget horror-comedy The Visit, featuring a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong visit. After revising the film,{{r|hiatt20181220}} which Shyamalan had shot in secret, Universal picked up rights to The Visit. The movie went on to gross $98 million worldwide on a budget of $5 million{{cite web |last1=Nash |first1=Bruce |title=The Numbers – The Visit |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Visit-The-(2015)#tab=summary |website=The Numbers |publisher=Nash Information Services |access-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-date=June 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630104316/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Visit-The-(2015)#tab=summary |url-status=live }} – the fifth-highest grossing thriller film of the year.{{cite web |last1=Nash |first1=Bruce |title=Box Office Performance for Thriller/Suspense Movies in 2015 |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/market/2015/genre/Thriller-or-Suspense |website=The Numbers |publisher=Nash Information Services |access-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127192206/https://www.the-numbers.com/market/2015/genre/Thriller-or-Suspense |url-status=live }}{{cite web|last1=Fleming|first1=Mike Jr.|title=Universal Slots 'The Visit', M. Night Shyamalan's Secret Thriller|url=https://deadline.com/2014/11/m-night-shyamalan-the-visit-jason-blum-universal-1201282508/|website=Deadline|date=November 12, 2014|access-date=November 14, 2014|archive-date=November 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113034151/http://deadline.com/2014/11/m-night-shyamalan-the-visit-jason-blum-universal-1201282508/|url-status=live}} Universal released the movie on September 11, 2015.

In 2017, Shyamalan released the movie Split. It was both critically and financially successful and grossed $279 million from a budget of $9 million.{{cite web |title=Unbreakable Franchise Box Office History |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Unbreakable#tab=summary |website=The Numbers |access-date=May 16, 2022 |archive-date=May 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516045537/https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Unbreakable#tab=summary |url-status=live }}

In 2019, he released Glass as the final installment in his 19-year trilogy inclusive of previous films Unbreakable and Split. The movie grossed over $247 million worldwide.{{cite web |author=f |title=Glass – Box office gross |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1518241281/?ref_=bo_di_table_285 |website=Box Office Mojo |publisher=IMDBPro |access-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804035725/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1518241281/?ref_=bo_di_table_285 |url-status=live }}

His next film, Old, a thriller about tourists who begin aging rapidly on a mysterious beach, was shot in the Dominican Republic{{Cite web|date=November 16, 2020|title=M. Night Shyamalan wraps up shooting his upcoming film in the DR|url=https://filmingindominicanrepublic.com/news/m-night-shyamalan-wraps-up-shooting-of-his-upcoming-film-old-in-the-dr/|access-date=May 13, 2021|website=Filming Dominican Republic|language=en-US|archive-date=May 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508091334/https://filmingindominicanrepublic.com/news/m-night-shyamalan-wraps-up-shooting-of-his-upcoming-film-old-in-the-dr/|url-status=live}} and released on July 23, 2021. The film stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff, Abbey Lee, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ken Leung, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Embeth Davidtz, Alexa Swinton, Nolan River, and Emun Elliott.{{Cite web|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|date=June 23, 2020|title=M. Night Shyamalan Thriller Gets 2021 Release Date|url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/m-night-shyamalan-movie-release-date-2021-1202967664/|access-date=June 24, 2020|website=Deadline|language=en|archive-date=September 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910114834/https://deadline.com/2020/06/m-night-shyamalan-movie-release-date-2021-1202967664/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/gael-garcia-bernal-m-night-shyamalan-movie-cast-1202989221/|title=Gael García Bernal Joins M. Night Shyamalan's Next Film|first=Justin|last=Kroll|website=Deadline.com|date=July 21, 2020|access-date=August 12, 2020|archive-date=July 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721181752/https://deadline.com/2020/07/gael-garcia-bernal-m-night-shyamalan-movie-cast-1202989221/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/rufus-sewell-embeth-davidtz-and-emun-elliot-m-night-shymalans-1203018823/|title=Rufus Sewell, Embeth Davidtz & Emun Elliott Round Out Cast of M. Night Shyamalan's Next Film|first=Justin|last=Kroll|website=Deadline.com|date=August 20, 2020|access-date=August 21, 2020|archive-date=August 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820191820/https://deadline.com/2020/08/rufus-sewell-embeth-davidtz-and-emun-elliot-m-night-shymalans-1203018823/|url-status=live}}{{Citation|last=Shyamalan|first=M. Night|title=Old|date=July 21, 2021|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10954652/|type=Thriller|others=Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Thomasin McKenzie, Rufus Sewell|publisher=Universal Pictures, Blinding Edge Pictures|access-date=May 13, 2021|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019232708/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10954652/|url-status=live}} The film received mixed reviews from critics.

In October 2021, Shyamalan announced that his next film Knock at the Cabin would be released in cinemas on February 3, 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/m-night-shyamalan-knock-at-the-cabin-new-release-date-title-revealed-1234855706/|title=M. Night Shyamalan's Next Universal Pic Gets New Release Date & Official Title|work=Deadline|first1=Bruce|last1=Haring|date=October 14, 2021|access-date=April 6, 2022|archive-date=October 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014022715/https://deadline.com/2021/10/m-night-shyamalan-knock-at-the-cabin-new-release-date-title-revealed-1234855706/|url-status=live}} Knock at the Cabin premiered in New York City at the Rose Hall on January 30, 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-31 |title='Knock at the Cabin' premiere in NYC |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/01/31/knock-at-the-cabin-premiere-in-nyc/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}} The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $54 million worldwide.{{Cite web |title=Knock at the Cabin (2023) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Knock-at-the-Cabin-(2023) |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=The Numbers}}

In February 2023, it was revealed Shyamalan's next film, titled Trap, would be released in theatres on August 2, 2024 distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.{{Cite web|date=February 16, 2023|url=https://deadline.com/2023/02/m-night-shyamalan-warner-bros-deal-1235262667/|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|access-date=February 17, 2023|title=M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros, Sets 'Trap' At Studio|website=Deadline Hollywood|archive-date=February 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217000407/https://deadline.com/2023/02/m-night-shyamalan-warner-bros-deal-1235262667/|url-status=live}} The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $85 million worldwide.{{Cite web |title=Trap |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt26753003/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Box Office Mojo}}

File:M. Night Shyamalan’s Reddit AMA on r-SERVANT - Apple TV-.webm to promote Servant in 2021]]

Shyamalan is the executive producer on the Apple TV series Servant. He directed several episodes, including the pilot. Servant was renewed for a second series in advance of the season one premiere.{{cite web |last1=Otterson |first1=Joe |title='Servant' Renewed for Season 2 at Apple Ahead of Series Premiere |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/servant-renewed-season-2-apple-1203413812/ |website=Variety |date=November 23, 2019 |publisher=Penske Entertainment |access-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-date=November 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123045110/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/servant-renewed-season-2-apple-1203413812/ |url-status=live }} The second season of Servant completed filming in fall 2020 under COVID protocols.{{Cite web|title=M. Night Shyamalan reveals title and poster for mysterious new movie as filming begins|url=https://ew.com/movies/m-night-shyamalan-reveals-title-poster-old/|access-date=October 1, 2020|website=EW.com|language=EN|archive-date=October 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001060834/https://ew.com/movies/m-night-shyamalan-reveals-title-poster-old/|url-status=live}}

Shyamalan was also instrumental in the creation of the Fox science fiction series Wayward Pines (2015–2016), for which he executive produced and directed the pilot episode. The series became the most-watched show of that summer.{{cite magazine |last1=Robinson |first1=Joanna |title=The Most-Watched TV Show of the Summer May Surprise You |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/07/most-watched-summer-tv-2015 |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=July 15, 2015 |access-date=November 20, 2019 |archive-date=October 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022152127/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/07/most-watched-summer-tv-2015 |url-status=live }}

In 2016, TNT first announced that Shyamalan would be responsible for a reboot series for Tales from the Crypt. {{as of|2017|June|}} the series had been cancelled due to a number of legal reasons.{{cite web |last1=Barsanti |first1=Sam |title=M. Night Shyamalan's Tales From The Crypt reboot is going to stay buried |url=https://www.avclub.com/m-night-shyamalans-tales-from-the-crypt-reboot-is-goin-1830866853 |website=AV Club |date=December 4, 2018 |access-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127192207/https://news.avclub.com/m-night-shyamalans-tales-from-the-crypt-reboot-is-goin-1830866853 |url-status=live }}

He also appeared in an episode of the series Entourage.{{Cite web |title=M. Night Shyamalan |url=https://www.ent411.com/entourage-character/m-night-shyamalan/ |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Entourage 411 |archive-date=June 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626191012/https://www.ent411.com/entourage-character/m-night-shyamalan/ |url-status=live }}

Shyamalan's production company, Blinding Edge Pictures,{{cite web|url=http://www.mnightshyamalan.com/legal.htm |title=Legal |publisher=M. Night Shyamalan official site |access-date=April 1, 2015 |archive-date=December 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223170639/http://www.mnightshyamalan.com/legal.htm |url-status=dead }} is located in Berwyn, Pennsylvania.{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowpages.com/berwyn-pa/mip/blinding-edge-pictures-462652045|title=Blinding Edge Pictures|publisher=YellowPages.com|access-date=April 1, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120837/http://www.yellowpages.com/berwyn-pa/mip/blinding-edge-pictures-462652045|url-status=live}} Blinding Edge has produced Servant, Wayward Pines, Devil, The Happening, Lady in the Water, The Village, Signs, Unbreakable, The Last Airbender, After Earth, The Visit, Split, Glass and Old. It is run by Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan.{{cite press release| url= http://www.blastr.com/2012/08/m_night_shyamalan_comes_t.php | title=Syfy, Marti Noxon, M. Night Shyamalan and Universal Cable Productions Team for Proof Pilot | publisher= Syfy | date= August 3, 2012| access-date= April 1, 2015 | archive-date=July 23, 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130723233424/http://www.blastr.com/2012/08/m_night_shyamalan_comes_t.php | url-status=live}} In February 2023, the company signed a multi-year first-look deal with Warner Bros., among them the Shyamalan-directed Trap, which released theatrically on August 2, 2024.{{Cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=February 16, 2023|title=M. Night Shyamalan Sets Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros., Sets 'Trap' At Studio|url=https://deadline.com/2023/02/m-night-shyamalan-warner-bros-deal-1235262667/|access-date=March 5, 2023|website=Deadline Hollywood|archive-date=February 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217000407/https://deadline.com/2023/02/m-night-shyamalan-warner-bros-deal-1235262667/|url-status=live}}

While working on his film The Happening, Shyamalan developed an interest in improving the delivery of education in American schools. He hired doctoral student James Richardson to do most of the background research and as a result published I Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America's Education Gap through Simon and Schuster in 2013.I Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America's Education Gap, Simon and Schuster, 2013, {{ISBN|978-1-4767-1645-9}} John Willol of NPR reviewed the book by stating "I Got Schooled is a breezily written, research driven call to change America's approach to education. Shyamalan is smart and sincere, and his innovative ideas are unbound by the educational establishment."{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/09/12/221409659/filmmaker-turns-to-education-reform-gets-schooled |title=Filmmaker Turns To Education Reform, Gets 'Schooled' |work=NPR |last=Wilwol |first=John |date=September 12, 2013 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125141217/https://www.npr.org/2013/09/12/221409659/filmmaker-turns-to-education-reform-gets-schooled |url-status=live }}

Shyamalan married Bhavna Vaswani, a fellow student whom he met at New York University.{{cite news| work = The Christian Science Monitor| date=July 28, 2004| url = http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0728/p15s01-almo.html | title= A Different Take| first= Stephen |last=Humphries | archive-date= January 2, 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150102053139/http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0728/p15s01-almo.html | url-status=live}} The couple has three daughters, including director Ishana and musician Saleka.{{cite magazine|last1=Colman|first1=David|title=M. Night Shyamalan's Pennsylvania Estate|url=http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/m-night-shyamalan-philadelphia-home-article|access-date=June 2, 2016|magazine=Architectural Digest|date=May 31, 2012| archive-date= June 2, 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160602222110/http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/m-night-shyamalan-philadelphia-home-article| url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ishana-shyamalan-to-direct-movie-1235304250/ |last=Crouch |first=Aaron |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=2023-02-14 |accessdate=2023-02-15 |lang=en-US |title=Ishana Night Shyamalan to Make Feature Directorial Debut with 'The Watchers' for New Line |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215164801/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ishana-shyamalan-to-direct-movie-1235304250/ |url-status=live }} His cousin is actor Ritesh Rajan.{{cite tweet |url=https://twitter.com/MNightShyamalan/status/897637181052899331 |title=My cous @teshrajan gave me the anime series #DeathNote for my birthday. |number=897637181052899331 |user=MNightShyamalan |last=Shyamalan |first=M. Night |date=August 15, 2017 |access-date=December 28, 2023}}

Shyamalan and his family live near Philadelphia at Ravenwood, a {{convert|125|acre|adj=on}} estate, built around a {{convert|27,000|ft2|adj=on}} 1937 Georgian Revival house.{{Cite web|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/m-night-shyamalan-philadelphia-home-slideshow|title=Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's 1930s Pennsylvania Estate|first=David|last=Colman|website=Architectural Digest|date=June 2016|accessdate=February 18, 2022|archive-date=May 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523230755/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/m-night-shyamalan-philadelphia-home-slideshow|url-status=live}}

Shyamalan is a season ticket holder of the Philadelphia 76ers.{{Cite news |date=October 26, 2016 |title=M. Night Shyamalan Is Attending Sixers Opener With Connor Barwin |work=CBS Philadelphia |url=http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/10/26/m-night-shyamalan-sixers-opener-connor-barwin/ |access-date=January 14, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702213207/https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/10/26/m-night-shyamalan-sixers-opener-connor-barwin/ |url-status=live }}

In 2023, Shyamalan bought a {{convert|218|acre|adj=on}} estate from the Rockefeller family in Willistown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, which has five historic houses and two barns for $24 million.{{cite web |last=Herman |first=Holly |date=March 24, 2023 |url=https://patch.com/pennsylvania/limerick/m-night-shyamalan-buys-former-rockefeller-farm-chesco-24m |title=M. Night Shyamalan Buys Former Rockefeller Farm in Chesco for $24M. |website=Patch.com |access-date=July 8, 2023 |archive-date=June 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620103250/https://patch.com/pennsylvania/limerick/m-night-shyamalan-buys-former-rockefeller-farm-chesco-24m |url-status=live }}

{{Main article|M. Night Shyamalan filmography}}

{{pending films key}}

Rolling Stone wrote that The Sixth Sense gave Shyamalan the reputation of "the guy who makes the scary movies with a twist".{{Cite magazine |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |date=December 20, 2018 |title=The Fall and Rise of M. Night Shyamalan |url=https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-fall-and-rise-of-m-night-shyamalan |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-date=November 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126141824/https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-fall-and-rise-of-m-night-shyamalan |url-status=live }} In 2008, Shyamalan said it was a common misperception that "all my movies have twist endings, or that they're all scary. All my movies are spiritual and all have an emotional perspective".{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/features/the-5minute-interview-m-night-shyamalan-writer-and-director-837413.html | work=The Independent | location=London | title=The 5-minute Interview: M Night Shyamalan, Writer and director | date=May 31, 2008 | access-date=May 12, 2010 | archive-date=June 3, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603012947/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/features/the-5minute-interview-m-night-shyamalan-writer-and-director-837413.html | url-status=live }} He nonetheless avoided plot twists for years, until again using them starting with The Visit in 2015. Rolling Stone wrote in 2018,{{r|hiatt20181220}}

{{blockquote|In his twenties, [Shyamalan] says, "I don't think you could have told me that making thrillers for your whole life wasn't a bad thing. At first it was a sense of, 'Hey, I can make anything.' But that’s hypocritical, because when I pick up an Agatha Christie novel in my library, I have a strong expectation. So, I get it ... When I became happy with the idea of making thrillers for the rest of my life, everything went right."}}

After the release of The Village, Slate{{'}}s Michael Agger noted that Shyamalan was following "an uncomfortable pattern" of "making fragile, sealed-off movies that fell apart when exposed to outside logic".{{cite web |work=Slate |date=July 30, 2004 |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2004/07/village_idiot.html |title=The case against M. Night Shyamalan |access-date=July 12, 2012 |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024123442/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2004/07/village_idiot.html |url-status=live }}

Shyamalan has also been nominated for, and in some cases won, numerous Golden Raspberry Awards for Lady in the Water in 2006, The Happening in 2008, The Last Airbender in 2010, and After Earth in 2013.{{Cite web |agency=PTI |date=5 February 2007 |title=Shyamalan nominated for worst director award |url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/news/world/shyamalan-nominated-for-worst-director-award/articleshow/15678583.cms |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=Mumbai Mirror |language=en}}{{Cite magazine |last=Lewinski |first=John Scott |title=Award Season Outrage: No Razzies for Happening |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/02/award-season-ou/ |access-date=2024-06-22 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2011-02-27 |title=M Night Shyamalan's Last Airbender wins Razzie Awards |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-12589752 |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Obias |first=Rudie |date=2014-03-02 |title=After Earth "Wins" Three Razzie Awards |url=https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/scifi/earth-wins-razzie-awards.html |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT |language=en-US}} In 2016 he was also nominated for the Razzie Redeemer Award.{{cite magazine|last=Rosen|first=Christopher|title=Razzies nominations 2016: 50 Shades of Grey, Pixels lead pack of year's worst|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/01/13/razzies-nominations-2016-list/|date=January 13, 2016|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=March 30, 2019|archive-date=May 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518041004/https://ew.com/article/2016/01/13/razzies-nominations-2016-list/|url-status=live}}

The Village, Lady in the Water, Split and Trap have been included in Cahiers du Cinéma annual top ten lists.

Shyamalan is also known for setting and shooting his films in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along with nearby Reading, Pennsylvania.{{Cite web|title=Filming under way at Reading's Pagoda for Shyamalan's 'The Last Airbender'|url=http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=132206|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=Reading Eagle|archive-date=December 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204143043/http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=132206|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|author=Kathy Lauer-Williams|title=No Pagoda scenes after all in 'The Last Airbender'|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-xpm-2010-07-01-mc-airbender-pagoda-reading-20100630-story.html|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=mcall.com|date=July 2010|language=en-US|archive-date=July 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703181411/https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-xpm-2010-07-01-mc-airbender-pagoda-reading-20100630-story.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title='One of the greatest places to shoot in the world': M. Night Shyamalan pushes Pa. to boost film tax credit|url=https://whyy.org/articles/one-of-the-greatest-places-to-shoot-in-the-world-m-night-shyamalan-pushes-pa-to-boost-film-tax-credit/|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=Whyy.org|language=en-US|archive-date=July 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731200133/https://whyy.org/articles/one-of-the-greatest-places-to-shoot-in-the-world-m-night-shyamalan-pushes-pa-to-boost-film-tax-credit/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title="The Last Airbender" Takes Over Reading Pagoda|url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/local/the-last-airbender-takes-over-reading-pagoda/1876964/|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=NBC10 Philadelphia|date=April 2009|language=en-US|archive-date=July 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731200134/https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/local/the-last-airbender-takes-over-reading-pagoda/1876964/|url-status=live}} Most of his early commercially successful films were co-produced and released by Walt Disney Studios' Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures imprints. Films of his resurgence, however, were usually released by Universal Pictures.

{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by M. Night Shyamalan}}

In 2008, Shyamalan was honored with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India.{{cite web| url= http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php?start=40 |title= Padma Shri Awardees| website= india.gov.in| publisher= National Informatics Centre, Government of India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930041403/http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php?start=40 |archive-date=September 30, 2009 | access-date= November 1, 2017}} Shyamalan was the Jury President of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival competition section.{{Cite web|title=The Prizes of the International Jury|url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/festival/awards-and-juries/international-jury.html|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=Berlinale.de|language=en|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105013659/https://www.berlinale.de/en/festival/awards-and-juries/international-jury.html|url-status=live}}

In 2004, Shyamalan was involved in a media hoax with SyFy Channel, which was eventually uncovered by the press. SyFy claimed in its "documentary" special The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan, shot on the set of The Village, that as a child, Shyamalan had been dead for nearly half an hour while drowned in a frozen pond in an accident, and that upon being rescued he had experiences of communicating with spirits, fueling an obsession with the supernatural.{{Cite web |last=McNab |first=J. M. |date=2021-07-22 |title=Remember When M. Night Shyamalan Pretended To Be Psychic? |url=https://www.cracked.com/article_30809_remember-when-m-night-shyamalan-pretended-to-be-psychic.html |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=Cracked.com |language=en}}

In truth, Shyamalan developed the hoax with SyFy, going so far as having SyFy staffers sign non-disclosure agreements with a $5 million fine attached and requiring Shyamalan's office to formally approve each step. Neither the childhood accident nor a supposed rift with the filmmakers ever occurred. The hoax included a nonexistent SyFy publicist, "David Westover", whose name appeared on press releases regarding the special. SyFy also fed false news stories to the Associated Press,{{cite news| url = http://www.today.com/id/5211084/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/profile-m-night-shyamalan-goes-sour/ |agency=Associated Press | work = Today|date=June 16, 2004 |title= Profile of M. Night Shyamalan goes sour: SyFy Channel is still planning to air the documentary| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401052130/http://www.today.com/id/5211084/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/profile-m-night-shyamalan-goes-sour/| archive-date=April 1, 2015|url-status=live}} Zap2It,{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118399097.html|title=Sci Fi schedules controversial Shyamalan doc.|date=June 21, 2004|access-date=April 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151407/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118399097.html|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=dead|publisher=Zap2it.com|agency=Knight Ridder / Tribune News Service}} and the New York Post,{{cite news| url =https://nymag.com/movies/reviews/17661/| title= M. Narcissus Shyamalan | publisher=(Sidebar, "Backstory") New York | first=David|last= Edelstein| author-link= David Edelstein |date= n.d.|archive-date= July 19, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060719193604/http://nymag.com/movies/reviews/17661/|url-status=live}} among others.

After an AP reporter confronted SyFy Channel president Bonnie Hammer at a press conference, Hammer admitted the hoax, saying it was part of a guerrilla marketing campaign to generate pre-release publicity for The Village. This prompted SyFy's parent company, NBC Universal, to state that the undertaking was "not consistent with our policy at NBC. We would never intend to offend the public or the press and we value our relationship with both."{{cite news|last=Collins |first=Dan |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/20/entertainment/main630733.shtml |title=Sci-Fi Channel Admits Hoax, 'Documentary' On Reclusive Filmmaker Is Bogus |agency=Associated Press |publisher=CBS News |date=July 20, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225031642/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/20/entertainment/main630733.shtml |archive-date=February 25, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

Robert McIlhinney, a Pennsylvanian screenwriter, sued Shyamalan in 2003, alleging similarities between Signs and his unpublished script Lord of the Barrens: The Jersey Devil.{{cite web |url=http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b48011_shyamalans_village_villainy.html |publisher=eonline.com |title=Shyamalan's "Village" Villainy? |date=August 10, 2004 |first=Josh |last=Grossberg |access-date=February 19, 2009 |archive-date=July 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727153623/http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b48011_shyamalans_village_villainy.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2004/aug/11night.htm |title=Is Shyamalan a copycat? |publisher=Rediff Entertainment Bureau |date=August 11, 2004 |access-date=February 19, 2009 |archive-date=August 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803013740/http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2004/aug/11night.htm |url-status=live }}

In 2004, Margaret Peterson Haddix claimed that The Village has numerous similarities to her young adult novel Running Out of Time, prompting discussions with publisher Simon & Schuster about filing a lawsuit.{{cite news |url=https://ew.com/article/2004/08/10/author-mulls-lawsuit-over-village/ |title=It Takes a Village |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |first=Gary |last=Susman |date=August 10, 2004 |access-date=September 9, 2011 |archive-date=October 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022064704/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,679258,00.html |url-status=live }}

In response to both allegations, Disney and Shyamalan's production company Blinding Edge issued statements calling the claims "meritless".

Orson Scott Card has claimed that many elements of The Sixth Sense were plagiarized from his novel Lost Boys, although he has said that enough had been changed that there was no point in suing.{{citation |url= http://www.hatrack.com/cgi-bin/print_friendly.cgi?page=/osc/reviews/everything/2004-08-08.shtml |title= Infringement, Watts, Plum, Ringworld, and Even More Books |first= Orson Scott |last= Card |publisher= Hatrack River (hatrack.com) |date= August 8, 2004 |access-date= May 30, 2016 |archive-date= June 20, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160620045333/http://www.hatrack.com/cgi-bin/print_friendly.cgi?page=/osc/reviews/everything/2004-08-08.shtml |url-status= live }}

After the release of The Happening, The Guardian{{'}}s Kim Newman questioned, "Can it be a kind of racism that the Indian-born, Philadelphia-raised auteur is hammered for his apparent character (or funny name) rather more than, say, Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee?"{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/jun/16/secondopinionthehappening|title=Second opinion: The Happening|first=Kim|last=Newman|date=June 16, 2008|website=Theguardian.com|access-date=August 3, 2020|archive-date=March 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317112605/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/jun/16/secondopinionthehappening|url-status=live}} The British Film Institute (BFI) also discussed the impact of racism on Shyamalan's career, pointing to frequent mispronunciations of his last name. By 2017, Vice said that "Shamalamadingdong" had become the "agreed-upon mockery of his name".{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-a-twist-m-night-shyamalan-doesnt-deserve-to-be-a-running-joke/?/|title=What a Twist: M. Night Shyamalan Doesn't Deserve to be a Running Joke|website=Vice.com|date=May 16, 2017|access-date=July 30, 2020|archive-date=September 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925163515/https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/kb4kwv/what-a-twist-m-night-shyamalan-doesnt-deserve-to-be-a-running-joke|url-status=live}}

BFI asked if critical attacks are the result of egotistical statements on Shyamalan's part. They question whether his strong statements of self-assurance coupled with the remarkable success of The Sixth Sense set up a fall from grace which was soon realized when a run of very successful films (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village) seemingly collapsed with a string of critical failures (Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth).{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/lost-spirit-m-night-shyamalan|title=Lost spirit: M. Night Shyamalan | Sight & Sound|website=British Film Institute|date=November 30, 2016|access-date=October 14, 2023|archive-date=October 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026201922/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/lost-spirit-m-night-shyamalan|url-status=live}} In 2019, Tim Greiving of The Washington Post said that "his confidence was interpreted as arrogance by some, especially after he cast himself in Lady in the Water as a brilliant writer whose book is prophesied as a world-saver." Greiving continued, "Howard, who expressed pride in him for forging ahead despite his turn among critics, noted how rare it was for such a young filmmaker to write, direct and produce original material. He wondered whether that placed a bigger target on his back, as his reputation for doggedness was perpetuated within the industry and reinforced by critics."{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/twenty-years-after-the-sixth-sense-m-night-shyamalan-hasnt-given-up-on-twist-endings/2019/01/16/068144be-15c5-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html |title=Twenty years after 'The Sixth Sense,' M. Night Shyamalan hasn't given up on twist endings |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Grieving |first=Tim |date=January 17, 2019 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=February 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203215523/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/twenty-years-after-the-sixth-sense-m-night-shyamalan-hasnt-given-up-on-twist-endings/2019/01/16/068144be-15c5-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html |url-status=live }}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |title=The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale and Lost |publisher=Gotham |year=2006 |isbn=978-1592402137 |author=Michael Bamberger}}
• {{cite book |title=M. Night Shyamalan: Interviews |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |year=2023 |isbn=978-1496848024 |author=Adrian Gmelch}}
• {{cite book |title=M. Night Shyamalan: Hollywood Rebel |publisher=Create Space |year=2024 |isbn=979-8876666758 |author=Adrian Gmelch}}

{{refend}}

{{commons category|M. Night Shyamalan}}

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