Shyamalan Already Writing Split Sequel

M. Night Shyamalan's latest film Split has become a surprise hit, and the director is already hard at work on the follow-up.

Shyamalan posted on Twitter that has already has an 11-page outline done for his next project, and teased "if you've seen Split" you should be excited about what he's putting together. The film marks the first critical success the director has had in a while, so it's no surprise to see he's looking to double down on that success. Split focuses on a man with multiple personalities played by James McCoy (X-Men: Days of Future Past), who abducts a group of young women. It's a taut, tense thriller unto itself — but the real twist comes in the final few minutes.

Shyamalan has been teasing plans to return to his seminal superhero film Unbreakable ever since the 2000 film opened, and the closing moments of Split reveal the story actually takes place in the same universe as David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) from Unbreakable. Which essentially sets up Split a loosely connected sequel. Shyamalan recently confirmed to UpRoxx that he wants to tackle a full-fledged Unbreakable sequel soon, so it stands to reason this mystery script could certainly be that project. Shyamalan had teased the next film will be "the final movie of these two movies put together." So, it seems Shyamalan is looking to blend the events from both films to set-up a final sequel to wrap up Dunn's story that started back in Unbreakable.

Outside of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable is arguably Shyamalan's biggest critical hit. The film did modest business at the box office, but has become a cult hit in the year's since its release. Many credit it as being one of the best superhero movies ever made, as it deconstructed the genre years before DC and Marvel movies became box office mainstays. By returning to that world with a proper sequel, the pressure is certainly on for Shyamalan to make it great.