Spoiler Warning: This post is going to spoil the shit out of the Split twist (which is awesome), so turn back now unless you’ve seen the film or want to be denied a delightful moviegoing experience.
M. Night Shyamalanknows a thing or two about twists. Sure, he hasn’t always hit the mark, but there’s a reason his name has become synonymous with cinematic surprises. The writer-director promised a return to form with his 2015 found-footage thriller The Visit, and with the release ofSplit,he’s officially sealed the deal. Shyamalan is back and he’s doing some of the most entertaining work of his career (You can read myfull review here).
And boy did he stick the “twist” landing this time around. Folks have been buzzing about Split’s ending since it debuted at Fantastic Fest last September, where I can confirm from being in the audience that people completely lost their minds. I’m serious. There was screaming. It was a lot of fun. If you had a chance to catch Split and you’ve been waiting for some answers, good news. Shyamalan talked toEWabout the ending and he was pretty candid about where the twist came from and what’s coming next.
Here’s a picture wall and one lastspoiler warning. See that faceJames McAvoyis making? That’s a “you’ve been warned” face.
So the big “twist” inSplitkind of stretches the term a bit, because the only thing it changes about the story we just watched is the context. The short version: Split is set in the same universe asUnbreakableandBruce Willis’s David Dunn is onto The Horde.
In case you missed Unbreakable, the 2000 film starred Willis as an everyman security who comes to realize has superpowers after he walks away the lone survivor of a devastating train crash. His mentor, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), actually turns out to be his archnemesis, Mr. Glass, who committed acts of terrorism (including that train crash) in the name of being a worthy rival to David. It’s a fantastic movie, which only makes Split’s shared universe reveal all the more delightful.
So how long has Shyamalan been planning this one? For averylong time…sort of. McAvoy’s character originates from an early draft of Unbreakable, so the universe connection was always inherent toSplit’s story.
Oh, it was always there. Always. This character, Kevin fromSplit, was in the original script ofUnbreakable. The original draft ofUnbreakablefocused on David Dunn and Elijah as his mentor. Elijah tells him, “You’re a comic book character, go try it.” And instead of bumping into the Orange Suit Man, David bumps into one of Kevin’s personalities and goes to save the girls. So you’d have been watching the girls' side of it the whole time. That was the outline.
Shyamalan says some of Kevin’s scenes were completely written all those years aga, as well as one of the Patricia scenes and Hedwig’s introduction. But what does it mean for a futureUnbreakablefilm?
Presented with the observation that now would be the perfect time to get that long-discussedUnbreakablesequel off the ground, Shyamalan told the outlet, “Yeah. I agree with that,” before expanding his answer to something a bit more illuminating.
I hope so. The answer is yes. I’m just such a wimp sometimes. I don’t know what’s going to happen when I go off in my room, a week after this film opens, to write the script. But I’m going to start writing.
How far along is he on this would-be sequel? The filmmaker says he has “A really robust outline, which is pretty intricate.” Even better, Split comes from the bustling horror studio Blumhouse who has demonstrated loyalty to their filmmakers time and again so long as the properties are profitable. So if Split makes some moolah this weekend, I’d bet we’re in a pretty good spot to finally get thatUnbreakablesequel.
What did you think of the twist? Are you ready to see David Dunn square off against The Horde? Sound off in the comments.
