Everything We Know about M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass So Far
Photos by Jessica Kourkounis/Universal Pictures Movies Features Glass
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“I’ll tell you a secret,” opens the official TV trailer for Glass, which was released last month. “I want to believe in real-life superheroes.”
How very, VERY meta.
Glass is the third and (most likely) final installment of the superhero-thriller series begun by Unbreakable (2000), continued by Split (2016) and now soon to be concluded by Glass (2019), though the connection of these three films was only revealed via Split’s twist ending.
And of course there was a twist: The series is written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, still best-known for his 1999 breakout film The Sixth Sense. Fun fact: Shyamalan also adapted E.B. White’s Stuart Little (1999), though you can expect Glass to be a liiiiittle different. Here’s everything we know so far.
Let’s start with the basics
Glass will be released by Universal Pictures in North America on Jan. 18, 2019, and by Buena Vista International abroad. Shyamalan made the film’s announcement official last April, kicking off production the following October and wrapping on the film about one year later in early November.
As per Universal, the synopsis reads:
Following the conclusion of Split, David Dunn (Bruce Willis) pursues Kevin Wendell Crumb’s (James McAvoy) superhuman persona of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters while the shadowy presence of Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), going by “Mr. Glass,” emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
How does Glass fit into the distinct narratives of Unbreakable and Split?
The Unbreakable movie series, also referred to as the Eastrail 177 Trilogy, combines elements of both American superhero thriller and psychological horror. All of the films feature David Dunn—the sole survivor aboard Eastrail 177—and several other characters who are connected to the train derailment of the first movie.
Glass is expected to bring together the narratives of 2000’s Unbreakable and 2016’s Split. From Unbreakable, Willis returns as David Dunn, and Jackson as Dunn’s prior mentor and nemesis, Elijah Price, aka Mr. Glass, the third installment’s titular character. Universal provides this first-look image:
Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Universal
Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard are also back, reprising their roles as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, respectively.
From Split, James McAvoy returns as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple personalities who reside within him—namely, The Beast, Crumb’s diabolical 24th identity. Anya Taylor-Joy will also return as Casey Cooke, The Beast’s only prisoner to survive. From Universal:
Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Universal
Anyone else that I should know about?
In July 2017, Sarah Paulson was cast as a new character, Dr. Ellie Staple.
Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Universal
We don’t know much about her, but Dr. Staple is either a researcher or psychiatrist who deals specifically with patients who think they have superhuman powers. The movie’s Twitter account gives us a sneak preview:
Do superheroes live among us? #GlassMoviepic.twitter.com/mkntMtJSzi
— Glass (@GlassMovie) December 3, 2018
In November of that same year, Adam David Thompson, of Netflix’s modern-day-Western Godless (2017) fame, was cast as Daryl. TBD on who Daryl is.
The trailers, the posters, I want ‘em all.
Can do … Alongside the TV preview, Universal has released two full-length official trailers, which debuted one month and four months ago, respectively. ICYMI, we’ve embedded both trailers below, and broke them down in detail here and here.
… And the official posters, including both U.S. and international versions, courtesy of Universal:
Don’t forget the film’s international character posters, either:
Our international character posters for @MNightShyamalan’s masterpiece #Glass, in theaters January 2019 #SamuelLJackson#BruceWillis#JamesMcAvoypic.twitter.com/ZgKzypdeJV
— Asad Ayaz (@asadayaz) December 1, 2018
Watch this space for updates on Glass as we have them.