Motion Pictures
March 23, 2005
Warner Bros. Pictures Announces Agreement To Produce And Distribute “Lady In The Water,” Written And Directed By M. Night Shyamalan
(March 23, 2005 - Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that it will produce and distribute acclaimed filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan’s next film, “Lady in the Water.” The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President of Warner Bros., and Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.
The film will be directed by the Oscar-nominated Shyamalan from his original script. Blinding Edge Pictures will produce, with Sam Mercer and Shyamalan as producers. The film will be shot in Philadelphia, where Shyamalan has made all of his movies. It follows the super of an apartment building who finds a rare type of sea nymph swimming in the apartment pool. Casting is underway and production is set to begin in August, 2005, for release on July 21, 2006.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with Night on this project,” said Alan Horn. “‘Lady in the Water’ will be a major event movie for us; I hope that it is the first of many outstanding films that Night makes at our studio.”
Agreed Jeff Robinov, “Night is a creative artist whose movies are also phenomenally successful – consecutively, he has made four of the biggest-grossing original movies ever. ‘Lady in the Water’ combines modern fantasy with Night’s well-known brand of artistry and suspense. It’s both an expansion of everything that audiences already love about Night’s movies, and an exciting departure from its predecessors.”
Responded Shamalyan, “Since we met a few years ago, Alan and Jeff have gone out of their way to offer me the best on their studio slates time after time. I felt their personal connection to my movies. ‘Lady in the Water’ is a personal movie with a big idea and it seems just perfect for Warner Bros. I’m thrilled they responded to the story and we all can’t wait to get started.”
M. Night Shyamalan was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for 1999’s worldwide hit, “The Sixth Sense.” He followed it with the blockbusters “Unbreakable,” “Signs” and “The Village.” Shyamalan’s other writing and directing credits include “Praying With Anger,” “Wide Awake” and the screenplay for “Stuart Little.”
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