M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass, a sequel to both Unbreakable and Split, has a lot to live up to. 2000’s Bruce Willis-starring vehicle is a cult favourite film, with a devoted fan base that laud it as one of the most interesting superhero movies ever made. 2017’s Split, meanwhile, might not have been quite so acclaimed, but it’s generally thought of to be a real return to form for the director. Not to mention it included that last-minute twist which got Shyamalan’s fans excited for what was to come next.
Thankfully, early reactions to Glass are apparently very positive. Or at least, that’s according to the director himself, who took to Twitter to reveal that he recently screened a 12-minute preview to an audience of representatives from Universal and Disney in Los Angeles.
The reason for the screening was an important one, as the two studios are handling distribution in North America and overseas, respectively. As such, if they didn’t like it, Shyamalan could have had a big issue on his hands. Luckily, the filmmaker said that his presentation was met with a “very, very gracious” reaction.
Glass is set to reunite Willis as the super-strong David Dunn with his former friend-turned-nemesis Elijah Price, as played by Samuel L. Jackson. The third major player in the movie will, of course, be James McAvoy as The Horde, a serial killer with extreme dissociative personality disorder. It’s not yet known whether Dunn will have to turn to Price AKA Mr. Glass for help in catching McAvoy’s villain, or whether Glass is planning a supervillain team-up with The Horde, but we’re intrigued to find out.
One thing that’s clear though is that this won’t be a Marvel-esque action movie. As the director’s stated in the past, it’ll be more of a comic book thriller, in line with the slow, contemplative tone of Unbreakable. That certainly sounds good to us and with any luck, Glass will live up to its predecessors and offer a much-needed alternative take on the superhero movie genre when it lands in theaters on January 18th, 2019.
