M. Night Shyamalan’s Night Chronicles
July 22, 2008

After a long run in the director’s chair as helmer of such films as The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water, and The Happening, M. Night Shyamalan is stepping into the new role of producer, as the writer/director has formed a new partnership with Media Rights Capital called Night Chronicles. As Variety reported late Monday night, the new deal will see Shyamalan take on the role of producer while creating story ideas for new films before going on to select various writers and directors to execute several projects that Media Rights Capital will finance. Under the deal, Shyamalan will not write or direct but instead create and produce three new thrillers with MRC, one per year for the next three years.

According to Variety, the deal was solidified after MRC saw Shyamalan as a filmmaker who could not only create projects on budget but as a creative force who was bubbling over with more story ideas than he could bring to life given the many hats he wears on his own productions as writer, director, and as a frequent actor. In the new partnership, both MRC and Shyamalan will retain co-copyright of the material they produce together with Night expected to be closely involved in each film on a hands-on level.

The Night Chronicles marks the first time M. Night Shyamalan will serve as producer on a project instead of writer or director. However, that doesn’t mean that Night is stepping away from the director’s chair altogether. His next film is a live action adaptation of the popular anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is current slated for a 2010 release.

It’s interesting to note that although some fans will undoubtedly view this latest deal as a direct result of the poor critical reception of The Happening, which had a budget of $50 million, Shyamalan’s latest film has already topped the $150 million mark in worldwide sales. However, that view isn’t completely unfounded.

As Variety reports further, M. Night Shyamalan issued a statement in which the director mentioned that he’s looking forward to working with new and upcoming filmmakers who will teach him new and innovative elements that he’ll be able to translate into his own original works.