According to Deadline, rising filmmaker Ishana Night Shyamalan is officially making her feature directorial debut with the upcoming thriller titled The Watchers. New Line Cinema has won the rights to the project in an intense bidding war against other major studios. Production is slated to begin later this year for a June 7, 2024, theatrical release.
“We couldn’t be more excited to make Ishana’s first film with The Watchers,” said Richard Brener, President and Chief Creative Officer, New Line Cinema. “Equal parts visual, immersive, and terrifying, the script grips you from the first page and never lets go.”
Before signing on for The Watchers, Ishana Night Shyamalan’s first directorial effort was working together with her acclaimed Oscar-nominated father M. Night Shyamalan in Apple TV+’s Servant series. Ishana Night Shyamalan directed five episodes and wrote six episodes for the supernatural drama from 2021 up to its final season. She had also directed her sister, musician Saleka, in four music videos.
The Watchers will be written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan. Th film will be produced by M. Night Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan for Blinding Edge Pictures along with Nimitt Mankad and Inimitable Pictures. Meanwhile, Jo Homewood will be serving as an executive producer.
“The story follows Mina, a 28-year-old artist who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland,” reads the synopsis. “When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers that are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.”
