Unbreakable (film series)

The Unbreakable film series is an American superhero thriller and psychological horror film series, involving the derailment of the fictitious Eastrail #177 train. The films were written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
The trilogy consists of Unbreakable (2000), Split (2016), and Glass (2019).
All of the films feature the character David Dunn. The series has been noted for its differences to more traditional superhero movies, with Shyamalan's work referred to as "the first auteur shared superhero universe". It is the first superhero franchise that is written and directed by one person, in comparison to other popular films in the genre. Shyamalan has noted that while it is based on comic book superheroes, and refers to comic books, it is not actually derived from comic book material itself. In contrast to most superhero films, the series is also generally grounded in reality, and is seen as a deconstruction of the superhero genre. The series is thus considered to be a unique take on the superhero genre.
The filmmaker has stated that the films are origin stories, of people with unique gifts, with the intent being to acknowledge that every person has something special about them. Split has been called the first solo supervillain story and Hollywood's first stealth sequel.
==Development==
The series originated with the film Unbreakable, directed by Shyamalan and released in 2000. When M. Night Shyamalan conceived the idea for Unbreakable, the outline had a comic book's traditional three-part structure (the superhero's "birth", his struggles against general evil-doers, and the hero's ultimate battle against the "archenemy"). Finding the birth section most interesting, he decided to write Unbreakable as an origin story.[10] At the time, comic book themed superhero films were niche, so the film was marketed as a psychological thriller like Shyamalan's breakout film The Sixth Sense, rather than as a superhero film. According to Shyamalan, "I was on a conference call with the studio, and they were saying we can’t mention the word ‘comic books’ or ‘superheroes’ because it’s too fringe".
Upon release in 2000, Bruce Willis revealed that Unbreakable was the first part of a planned trilogy. Both Willis and Samuel L. Jackson pushed for a sequel or trilogy, with Willis stating "It's really built as a trilogy," but Shyamalan expressed uncertainty and said, "I can’t tell you anything about them." Whether the film had a sequel depended upon how it would perform at the box office. While Unbreakable was a moderate box office success, grossing $248 million worldwide on a $75 million budget, it performed below expectations, earning about a third of what The Sixth Sense grossed. Unbreakable gained more popularity over time and subsequently developed a cult following, as the audience for comic book superhero films grew over time. Out of Shyamalan's career, some have referred to Unbreakable as his best work. In terms of superhero films, it was listed in Times list of "Top 10 Superhero Films" of all time, ranked at number four. Quentin Tarantino also included Unbreakable on his list of top 20 films released since 1992.
The second film Split originated from the character of Kevin who had been in one of the early drafts of Unbreakable, but Shyamalan had pulled the character out, stating there were balancing issues at that time. With Split, he brought in some of the scenes he had written for Unbreakable around Kevin. Split became a box office success, with over 2,000% return on investment (ROI), making it the most profitable film of 2017, paving the way for a third film. While Shyamalan has stated that he is usually not a fan of making sequels, the stars of the first film, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, had asked him to consider making a sequel. Shyamalan has said he plans on a trilogy, with the third film, Glass, released in 2019, being the last, but may continue making more if the inspiration for writing the material is there
==Films==
Film 	U.S. release date	Director 	Screenwriter 	Story by 	Producers 	Producers
Unbreakable	 	M. Night Shyamalan	M. Night Shyamalan	M. Night Shyamalan	Barry Mendel & Sam Mercer 	M. Night Shyamalan
Split 	 	M. Night Shyamalan	M. Night Shyamalan	M. Night Shyamalan	Jason Blum & Marc Bienstock	M. Night Shyamalan
Glass 	 	M. Night Shyamalan	M. Night Shyamalan	M. Night Shyamalan	Jason Blum & Marc Bienstock	M. Night Shyamalan
===Unbreakable (2000)===
David Dunn is the sole survivor of a devastating train wreck. Elijah Price is a mysterious stranger who offers a bizarre explanation as to why David escaped without a single scratch, an explanation which threatens to change David's family and his life forever.
During filming for The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan approached Bruce Willis for the role of David Dunn. Sometime after, Samuel L. Jackson alongside Willis, were announced to be the two leads of the film. Prior to the film's production, Jackson met with Willis discussing the script. Principal photography began April 25, 2000, and finished in June the same year.
===Split (2016)===
Kevin Wendell Crumb has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Fletcher, although there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all of the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the wilful, observant Casey Cooke, Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him, as well as everyone around him, as the walls between his compartments shatter.
In October 2015, James McAvoy was cast as the film’s primary antagonist, Kevin Wendell Crumb. Originally, Joaquin Phoenix was cast for the role. The same month, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula, and Haley Lu Richardson were cast in the film. Following cast announcements, Universal Pictures revealed the film's title as Split. Principal photography began November 2015 and finished in June 2016.
===Glass (2019)===
Following the events of Split, security guard David Dunn uses his superstrength and supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man who has 24 personalities. As David and Kevin engage in a series of escalating encounters, Elijah Price orchestrates everything from the background, all the while holding secrets critical to both men.
Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard, James McAvoy, and Anya Taylor-Joy are set to reprise their roles from Unbreakable and Split. In July 2017, Sarah Paulson was cast as a new character. In November, Adam David Thompson was cast in an undisclosed role. Principal photography began October and finished in December 2017.
==Future==
Although the series is currently slated as a trilogy, Shyamalan mentioned that he would be open to a continuation if the inspiration came to him.
==Themes==
While the three movies are superhero films, in that unrealistic "super" powers are featured, Shyamalan notes that one of the main themes of the movies is that there are extraordinary powers in everyone. He also notes that rather than being a "comic book movie" each of them is a movie about comic books. While the movies are connected, each has a separate style. Unbreakable is a mystery film, regarding a man who is the sole survivor of a catastrophic train crash. Split is a horror movie, exploring the origin story of a supervillain, while Shyamalan has stated that Glass will be a different thematic feel as well. Producer Jason Blum has referred to them as "superhero movies", noting that they are very different from Marvel Studios' films.
==Cast and crew==
===Cast===
*A dark grey cell indicates the character has not appeared in that medium. 
* A indicates a voice-only role.
* A indicates an appearance as a younger version of a pre-existing character. 
* A indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs only.
* A indicates a cameo appearance.
Character 	Unbreakable 	Split 	Glass
Character 	2000 	2016 	2019
David Dunn 	Bruce WillisDavis Duffield 	Bruce Willis 	Bruce Willis
Elijah Price 	Samuel L. JacksonJohnny Hiram Jamison	Mentioned 	Samuel L. JacksonJohnny Hiram Jamison
Kevin Wendell Crumb	Joey Hazinsky 	James McAvoy 	James McAvoyOwen Vitullo
Joseph Dunn 	Spencer Treat Clark 	 	Spencer Treat Clark
Mrs. Price 	Charlayne Woodard 	 	Charlayne Woodard
Mrs. Crumb 	Dianne Cotten Murphy 	Rosemary Howard 	Rosemary Howard
Casey Cooke 	 	Anya Taylor-JoyIzzie Coffey	Anya Taylor-Joy
Audrey Dunn 	Robin Wright PennLaura Regan 	 	Robin Wright
Dr. Dubin 	Michael Kelly 	 	
Dr. Mathison 	Eamonn Walker 	 	
The Orange Man 	Chance Kelly 	 	
Jai 	M. Night Shyamalan 	M. Night Shyamalan 	M. Night Shyamalan
Dr. Karen Fletcher 	 	Betty Buckley 	
Claire 	 	Haley Lu Richardson 	
Marcia 	 	Jessica Sula 	
John Cooke 	 	Brad William Henke 	
Mr. Cooke 	 	Sebastian Arcelus 	
Dr. Ellie Staple 	 	 	Sarah Paulson
Daryl 	 	 	Adam David Thompson
Pierce 	 	 	Luke Kirby
===Additional crew & production details===
Film 	Composer(s) 	Editor 	Cinematographer	Productioncompanies 	Distributingcompanies 	Running time
Unbreakable	James Newton Howard	Dylan Tichenor 	Eduardo Serra 	Touchstone PicturesBlinding Edge PicturesBarry Mendel ProductionsLimited Edition Productions, Inc.	Buena Vista Pictures 	106 minutes
Split 	West Dylan Thordson	Luke Franco Ciarrocchi	Mike Gioulakis 	Blinding Edge PicturesBlumhouse Productions 	Universal Pictures 	117 minutes
Glass 	West Dylan Thordson	Joseph Castaliano 	Mike Gioulakis 	Touchstone PicturesBlinding Edge PicturesBlumhouse Productions 	Universal PicturesBuena Vista International	128 minutes
==Reception==
===Box office performance===
Unbreakable was a moderate box office success, grossing 248.1 million in ticket sales on a 75 million budget, but there was minimal profit and it performed below expectations, earning about a third of what The Sixth Sense grossed. Unbreakable underperformed at the box office due to several reasons, primarily because many people expected it to be a similar film to Shyamalan's smash success psychological horror film, The Sixth Sense, which it was not.
Split grossed $278 million against a $9 million budget, becoming a surprise box office success.
Film 	U.S. release date	US gross 	International gross	Worldwide gross	Budget 	Ref
Unbreakable	November 22, 2000	$95,011,339 	$153,106,782 	$248,118,121 	$75 million 	
Split 	January 20, 2017 	$138,291,365	$140,162,993 	$278,454,358 	$9 million 	
Glass 	January 18, 2019 	$90,689,910 	$111,577,963 	$202,267,873 	$20 million 	
Total 	Total 	$323,992,614	$404,847,738 	$728,840,352 	$104 million	
===Critical response===
Film 	Rotten Tomatoes 	Metacritic 	CinemaScore
Unbreakable	69% (166 reviews)	62 (31 reviews)	C
Split 	76% (276 reviews)	62 (47 reviews)	B+
Glass 	36% (319 reviews)	42 (51 reviews)	B
===Accolades===
Film 	Award 	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result
Unbreakable	Saturn Award 	Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film 	Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film 	
Unbreakable	Black Reel Award 	Black Reel Award for Best Film Poster|Best Film Poster	Black Reel Award for Best Film Poster|Best Film Poster	
Unbreakable	Golden Trailer Award 	Best Horror/Thriller Film 	Best Horror/Thriller Film 	
Unbreakable	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Actor - Suspense 	Bruce Willis 	
Unbreakable	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Actor - Suspense 	Samuel L. Jackson 	
Unbreakable	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Supporting Actor - Suspense 	Spencer Treat Clark 	
Unbreakable	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Supporting Actress - Suspense 	Robin Wright 	
Unbreakable	Bram Stoker Award 	Best Screenplay 	M. Night Shayamalan 	
Unbreakable	Nebula Award 	Best Script 	M. Night Shayamalan 	
Unbreakable	International Horror Guild Award	Best Film 	Best Film 	
Split 	London Film Critics' Circle 	Young British/Irish Performer of the Year 	Anya Taylor-Joy (also for Morgan and The Witch) 	
Split 	MTV Movie & TV Awards 	Best Actor in a Movie 	James McAvoy 	
Split 	Saturn Awards 	Best Thriller Film 	Best Thriller Film 	
Split 	Saturn Awards 	Best Supporting Actress 	Betty Buckley 	
==External links==
*Unbreakable on IMDb
*Split on IMDb
*Official Split website
*Glass on IMDb
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