Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, is set to make her feature directorial debut with New Line thriller The Watchers.
According to Deadline, New Line acquired the project after coming out on top of a competitive bidding situation with other studios. The film is already dated for theatrical release on June 7, 2024, and cameras are expected to start rolling later this year to keep on target for that.
The Watchers is an adaptation of the A.M. Shine novel of the same name, following "Mina, a 28-year old artist who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers that are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night."
M. Night Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan will produce the thriller through Blinding Edge Pictures. Nimitt Mankad of Inimitable Pictures will also produce, and Jo Homewood will executive produce.
"We couldn't be more excited to make Ishana's first film with The Watchers. Equal parts visual, immersive, and terrifying, the script grips you from the first page and never lets go," said Richard Brener, New Line Cinema's President and Chief Creative Officer.
Ishana has had an important role on the creative team for Servant, the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series created by her father. The series is now more than halfway through its fourth and final season – with Ishana credited as a writer, director, and producer of multiple episodes.
She also served as a second unit director on Old, her father's 2021 horror-thriller, and his latest film, Knock at the Cabin, which managed to dethrone Avatar: The Way of the Water from atop the box office despite turning in Shyamalan's lowest opening weekend performance.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
Cover image credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo / Contributor via Getty Images.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/ishana-night-shyamalan-directorial-debut-the-watchers