Summary
Director M. Night Shyamalan and star Josh Hartnett comment on the chances ofTrap 2. Written and directed by Shyamalan, the new psychological thriller follows Hartnett as a serial killer known as “The Butcher” who takes his teenage daughter to a concert for the fictional pop star Lady Raven and realizes it is a trap set by police to catch him. Other than Hartnett,Trap’s castincludes Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Allison Pill, Marnie McPhail, Jonathan Langdon, and Kid Cudi.
WithTrapnow playing in theaters,Shyamalan and Hartnett recently commented on the chances of a sequelduring interviews withThe Playlist. The director says the movie was so well-received during a test screening that everyone in the audience wanted a sequel, and he felt a sense of loss after finishing the project, having thoroughly enjoyed creating and spending time with the characters. The star also wants to work with Shyamalan again, praising his unique storytelling approach. Read their full responses below:
Shyamalan: I’ll tell you two things. My answer to that: we screened this for an audience and they were so excited. And at the end, in a test screening, someone asked the audience, “How many of you wanna see a sequel of this? And every hand in the theater went up and I was hiding. And I saw it, and I was like, “Whoa.” So that’s one. And then two, okay, I finished this movie, three weeks ago, I went back to the office the next day and felt an absolute loss that I wasn’t going be with these characters again. I used to run to the editing room. I loved this movie and I wanted to be with this music and these characters and Cooper and Riley and Lady Raven, all of them. And so that was a strange feeling. They become a part of you when you’re making these characters. And, and it was such a joyful experience; we were laughing through it and, playing, and the audience can feel that. So, yeah…
Hartnett: If it were a thing? I mean, yeah, I think I would love to work with Night again. I loved the experience, and I hope we work together again on something, whether it’s a sequel to this or something else. I’ve been lucky recently to work with some of the directors that I love most in the industry. And I hope they see in me a collaborator who wants to push the envelope, try new things, and help realize a cool vision. And, yeah, if he wanted to do another one, sure. If we had someplace to go with it… but then again, Night would come up with a really cool story, right? He would come up with something unexpected. That’s what I love about him. He’s not coming at it from the usual place. He does this consistently throughout his career, where he’ll take a genre that we think we all know, he’ll upend the genre, and come at it from a completely different perspective: a ghost story from the ghost perspective; who doesn’t know he’s a ghost, an alien invasion story where you don’t see the alien invasion, and you don’t even know if it’s really happening for most of the movie. Those things are amazing, and this one is like a contained thriller, nineties style in a way that is, is told from the antagonist point of view.
Trap Sequel Chances Explained
They Could Hinge On How Shyamalan’s Film Performs
Trap’s ending does leave the door open for a potential sequel and the movie even contains a mid-credits scene, which is generally intended to set up a sequel.
Throughout his career,Shyamalan has only made two sequels, the first beingSplit, the first-ever stealth sequel. For much of the film’s runtime, it functions as a standalone psychological thriller following James McAvoy’s character with dissociative identity disorder, until the final scene shows David Dunn (Bruce Willis) mentioning Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), revealing it is a secret sequel toUnbreakable.Shyamalan’s next movie,Glass, was a sequel that brought all three characters together to complete the trilogy.Unbreakablewas a superhero movie, which is obviously conducive to sequels.
Otherwise, Shyamalan has never made a sequel to any other of his films. Shyamalan and Hartnett both express interest in a sequel toTrap, butthe movie’s performance will likely have a major impact on whether another gets made.Trapis targeting a $15-20 million opening weekend at the box office and, unless it opens on the upper end of expectations, will rank as one of the lowest debuts of the director’s career. As of late, Shyamalan self-finances his films and keeps the budgets low, soTrapwon’t require a big box office haul to turn a profit.
Trap’s Post-Credits Scene Explained
M. Night Shyamalan’s movie Trap does not end at the credits, as the movie does have a post-credits scene. Here’s what happens and what it means.
Trap’s critical response could also affect whether a sequel gets made. So far,reviews have been mixed,with some praising its entertainment value, suspense, and Hartnett’s performance, while others criticize its inconsistent script, Shyamalan’s signature twist, and its overall underwhelming execution.Trap’s endingdoes leave the door open for a potential sequel and the movie even contains a mid-credits scene, which is generally intended to set up a sequel. However, whether a sequel toTrapactually gets made could be dependent on various other factors.
Trap
Cast
Trap is a film by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan under his Blinding Edge Pictures label. The film is part of a deal struck with Warner Bros for him to direct and produce several films under their banner.
