Ishana Night Shyamalan to make directorial debut with 'The Watchers'

Writer Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of filmmaker M Night Shyamalan, is set to direct her first feature film titled The Watchers for the New Line Cinema production banner.

Ishana, who recently worked as writer-director on her father's critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series Servant, has adapted her film based on A M Shine's novel of the same name.

Production on the thriller will begin later this year, with the studio eyeing a June 7, 2024, worldwide premiere, entertainment website Deadline reported. The Watchers revolve around Mina, a 28-year-old artist who becomes stranded in a vast, unspoiled forest in the west of Ireland.

"When Mina finds refuge, she unwittingly finds herself trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked nightly by mysterious creatures," read the official logline. M Night Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan are on board to produce the film through Blinding Edge Pictures. Nimitt Mankad with Inimitable Pictures will also serve as producer, and Jo Homewood is attached as executive producer.

“We couldn't be more excited to shoot Ishan's first film with 'The Watchers'. The script grabs you from page one and never let's go,” said Richard Brener, president and chief creative officer of New Line Cinema.

Ishana, a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, also directed the sequel to her father's blockbuster films The Old Man (2021) and Knock at the Cabin (2023).