(Image taken from: laineygossip.com)
It seems like Columbia Pictures, the company behind this summer's
After Earth, is so ashamed of the director that they got for it that they don't even want to mention his name in their latest trailer. And I don't blame them.
The director in question is M Night Shyamalan, who is a running candidate for worst modern day director right up there with Uwe Boll. Now, that's not to say that I NEVER liked Shyamalan (Come on,
The Sixth Sense and
Unbreakable were legitimately excellent films. Don't front), as we all were once enamored by his twist endings and Hitchcock-lite pacing. But no director has fallen farther from their perch in Hollywood than Shyamalan, and you don't need me to tell you that. Everybody already knows.
That said, when I heard that Shyamalan was given yet ANOTHER chance after directing the bombs that were
The Last Airbender, The Crappening, er
The Happening, and
Lady in the Water (which I actually didn't hate), I was shocked to find that not only was it a big budget picture, but one that also starred Will Smith and his son, Jaden. Hollywood, it appeared, had forgiven Shyamalan for his sins.
Again.
But not so fast. Knowing all about
After Earth since I follow movies religiously, when I saw the trailer for it while waiting for
Zero Dark Thirty to start, I eagerly anticipated the collective groan of the audience when it concluded with, "Directed by M Night Shyamalan" like I heard when people found out that he wrote,
Devil.
But nope, that didn't happen. And you know why? Because they didn't even mention his name at the end of it. Not even for a second. Not only that, but when the trailer ended, they didn't mention
anybody who worked on the movie. Not a soul. Check it out below.
I actually sat next to my wife during the trailer, and, knowing that Shyamalan directed it, asked her what she thought about it. She said it looked interesting. When I told her who directed it, she made a face like she just stepped in puke on the theater floor, so I understand why Columbia Pictures wants to keep it a secret. But what I don't know is why they'd take him on in the first place if they know his very name is toxic. Hollywood doesn't normally give second chances. And this would be Shyamalan's, what, fourth? Fifth if you hated
The Village, like I did. So what's the deal? Whatever it is, Shyamalan is the luckiest man in Hollywood to keep getting work. Let's just see how this movie does. If it's actually good, well, he still has an uphill climb. But maybe studios wouldn't be so embarrassed to put his name on the trailer. Only time (and Rotten Tomato scores) will tell.
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