And that raises the question: What’s next? Glass Ending Explained. But it’s fascinating how much it’s stuck around. I agree with that. But there was a question whether it would be one scene from the end, like within the pocket of the movie, and then have James’ scene in the mirror? In Unbreakable, Elijah is born with fragile bones. The Marvel and DC superhero films continue to become more awe-inspiring, but less grounded in the process. This is your last free article. And before this final “tag” scene even beings, those with good memories and good ears will recognize composer James Newton Howard’s dark, lush score to Unbreakable playing in the last scene involving McAvoy, before we even get to the Philly diner. Do you have an outline?Yeah, definitely. That’s been changing lately, thanks to the success of Shyamalan’s creepy TV series Wayward Pines and his 2015 sleeper hit The Visit. Every RuPaul's Drag Race season 13 runway look, ranked, Spread the love with EW's Valentine's Day gift guide, The Masked Dancer revealed: Every unmasked celebrity on season 1. You have 2 free articles left. The answer is yes. It is revealed that Split actually takes place in the same fictional storyline, with Bruce Willis's character appearing in a final reveal, directly referencing Mr. Glass when discussing the film's villain, "The Horde". Here’s the twist: Split actually takes place in the same cinematic universe — in the same city of Philadelphia, in fact — as Shyamalan’s fantastic 2000 thriller Unbreakable. Despite the director’s reputation, the last act of Glass, the third and final entry in Shyamalan’s low-key superhero franchise, isn’t particularly surprising. He is constantly in pain and bullied throughout his life. Well, guess what? Glass, the villain portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson - meaning that Split is part of a shared universe with Unbreakable. So what does that have to do with Nietzsche? And he was pumped. Over the last two decades, no filmmaker has established himself as more of a professional plot-twister, rug-puller, ending-upender than M. Night Shyamalan. I don’t know what’s going to happen when I go off in my room, a week after this film opens, to write the script. You weren’t even watching what you thought you were. The Unbreakable trilogy, officially known as the Eastrail 177 Trilogy, is an American superhero thriller and psychological horror film series. One of the “Patricia” scenes, the Hedwig introduction scene, those were written over 15 years ago. ... the next step was euthanasia. An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Warning: This post contains spoilers for Unbreakable, Split and Glass. How David Dunn is connected to the ending of Split (ending explained) The ending of Unbreakable and Split sequel Glass, starring Bruce Willis, James McAvoy and Samuel L Jackson, explained with M Night Shyamalan. How do we know this? But I’m going to start writing. In Split, you really thought you were watching a psychological thriller. Director M. Night Shyamalan tells all about why he decided on using that shocking twist ending in Split, and how it … But before we mine Glass’ finale for meaning, let’s quickly review what happened at the end of film: Elijah, a.k.a. Dr. Ellie Staple, the “psychiatrist” played by Sarah Paulson, reveals herself to be a member of a cabal sworn to killing all super-humans, good or evil. And perhaps Shyamalan’s final twist is his biggest, and most radical, yet: With the opportunity to build a larger superhero franchise and make gods of men, he instead insists on highlighting the potential for power in ordinary people. He then records himself waking up the Beast in the tunnels beneath the hospital and eventually orchestrates a fight between the Beast and David. Elijah hacked the hospital’s security system so that video footage from the grounds would automatically be emailed to his mother (Charlayne Woodard) as proof. With Glass, the three main characters established in … Some of the Kevin Wendell Crumb [James McAvoy’s character in Split] scenes were already completely written, all the way back then. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you strike upon the idea to set Split in the same story universe as David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) and Unbreakable?M. A man with multiple personality disorder has kidnapped three girls, who fight him as his personalities wrestle each other for control. The German philosopher and Shyamalan both assert that this type of super-powered man represents humanity’s future. Have you been worried about the news of the ending spilling out?Yeah. I have them written by hand in my notebooks. You have 3 free articles left. Thank you for reading TIME. Will there finally be a sequel to Unbreakable? Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. I need to know I’ve won already. (He only eats innocent girls who have never suffered.) Glass.” That’s the nickname, of course, of Samuel L. Jackson’s character in Unbreakable, who in that movie’s surprise finale revealed himself to be a supervillain — in contrast with Willis’ David Dunn, a superhero. Mr. Glass, sees himself as the villain to David Dunn's hero, … And I’d love to break out of the asylum.”, A representative from Blumhouse Productions, the studio run by Jason Blum that’s produced Shyamalan’s last two movies, told EW, “We love supporting Night and hope to be able to do it again soon.”. I wouldn’t do it, somewhat out of fear that it would get out. We then join the action in a busy diner as patrons are watching a TV news report about this man, who the media has dubbed “The Horde” because of his multiple personalities. Here is a trailer for Split, before we jump into the game-changing revelation that’s stitched brilliantly onto the film’s very last scene. Glass movie ending explained What is Mr. Glass planning? My God!” He was excited, but again, this was well over a year ago. So you’d have been watching the girls side of it the whole time. I tried all those variations but this was the best version. Spoiler alert: Get out of here — right now — if you don’t want to know anything about the final revelation of M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. So when you began writing the full script for Split, you knew it was going to reference Unbreakable?Yes, for sure. He recognizes an opportunity to prove himself right when he learns that Kevin, who has Dissociative Identity Disorder, can summon a villainous identity called “the Beast.” He invites David to fight the Beast atop the tallest tower in Philadelphia so that the world can witness their strength. The original draft of Unbreakable focused on David Dunn and Elijah as his mentor. But it’s actually a comic book movie. The Bonkers Twist Ending of Glass, Explained. Everything is captured on camera. Glass Movie: Explained (2019 Film Plot and Ending) This is a third and concluding part of M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable Film Series (or the Unbreakable Trilogy) which began first with Unbreakable, then Split, and we finally have Glass as the finale. Pan to Bruce Willis' Unbreakable character, David Dunn, who says yeah, "Mr. It has to be organic and has to come from the right place — otherwise, it’ll smell of artificiality. The conclusion revealed Split to be a villain origin story, as David Dunn appeared to connect the movies together. It feels great. And did he knew when he signed on that this was going to be the ending?Oh yeah, he knew from the beginning. The end also asserts that normal people can become extraordinary, an idea that has perhaps been lost as the superheroes who grace our screens become richer, more cosmic and arguably less relatable. Get 1 year for just $15. You can unsubscribe at any time. The broken are more evolved.”. All Rights Reserved. ‘Glass’ Ending Explained: Too Many Twists Further Sink Shyamalan’s Sequel. (Remember, this is a man who murdered hundreds of people in Unbreakable.) It’s not exactly a #MeToo-friendly concept. Warning: This post contains spoilers for Unbreakable, Split and Glass. But did you toy with when to do it?It was always at the end. A really robust outline, which is pretty intricate. In that first movie, Elijah admitted to causing that crash in order to find potential superheroes. Offers may be subject to change without notice. It’s unclear how David developed his superpowers, but it’s implied in that same film that he may have developed unbreakable bones after he almost drowned as a child. Shyamalan’s shot construction still references the split structure of the comic book page, but those rules and terms that Mister Glass explained so clearly, as his name suggests, are absent. All of the members of this secret organization sport shamrock tattoos on their wrists, for unknown reasons. NIGHT SHYAMALAN: Oh, it was always there. I screened it in Austin in September at Fantastic Fest and when the woman says the word “wheelchair,” the place freaked out. But it turns out that Elijah never planned for David and the Beast to make it to there. Right, finding a sort of middle ground?Yeah. Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price/Mr. It’s a limp ending, as critics have noted, but it’s chock full of symbolism. Bruce is still around. Glass: The twist ending to M Night Shyamalan's latest explained. Warning: This post contains spoilers for Unbreakable, Split and Glass. Glass, James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb/The Horde, and Bruce Willis as David in 'Glass', J Kourkounis—Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock, James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb/The Horde and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke in 'Glass'. It’s not a particularly original idea: The backstories of his superhero and two supervillains are essentially a dramatization of the famous Nietzsche quote, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” In Glass, he plays with yet another Nietzschean idea: The “ubermensch.” Often translated as super man, the ubermensch became the precursor for comic book superheroes. Or run credits and put it at the end of the end credits? Here is the ending of Spilt explained Split movie’s focus on the 23 personalities of the protagonist leaves the audience bewildered. This is something you’ve never done before.No, that’s correct. What Was Up With Kevin? In that, ‘Glass’ would be the finale, the showdown, as Mr. Glass terms it. This is a redefinition of the twist ending. At the end of Unbreakable, when we learn that Price, a.k.a. By Jeffrey Bloomer. Will it be?I hope so. And here comes the first twist: She has been the real villain all along. Glass, M. Night Shyamalan 's long-awaited follow-up to Unbreakable and Split, has finally arrived in theaters, and we at long last have seen … That philosophical perspective essentially shifts the established power dynamics of the superhero series: Elijah and Kevin become sympathetic characters, while Dr. Staple becomes the true villain. The director cemented that notion in 2017 when Split left viewers with a teaser that revealed that the horror film was, in fact, a stealth sequel to his 2000 superhero film Unbreakable. But Mr. Glass, of course, gets the last laugh since he also hacked the institution’s cameras the night before. Kevin’s former victim Casey (Anya Taylor Joy), David’s son Joseph, and Elijah’s mother (who is unnamed in the script) release the footage into the world, as victorious music swells behind them. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Elijah is delighted by this new piece of information and asserts that he created two super-people by causing the accident: David back in 2000, and now Kevin, who suffered abuse from his mother after his father died and developed a superhuman identity to protect himself. It’s pandemonium. Mr. Glass put both of them on the train. I’m just such a wimp sometimes. The camera turns and we see Bruce Willis, wearing a security guard work shirt that says “Dunn,” as he utters while looking up at the TV screen, “Mr. In the interview below, Shyamalan talks about his long history with the antagonist of Split and his ideas for tackling the character — or having Bruce Willis do so — in the future. Here's what the ending of Split means. Shocking Split Ending Explained by M. Night Shyamalan. Always. (Yes, plenty of people die.) Glass." In Unbreakable and Split, Shyamalan asserted that those who experience trauma can grow into superior beings. The ethics of this decision are questionable: Of course it’s wrong that Dr. Staple murdered David and Kevin (especially considering Kevin had been restored to his “good” identity.) It was an origin story.”. During the fight, David’s son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark) reveals that Kevin’s father died on the same train that crashed while David was riding it in Unbreakable. Considering what happens in the ending of ‘Glass’, ‘Unbreakable’, ‘Split’ and ‘Glass’ can easily be seen as origin, setting up and confrontation. But Casey’s tearful goodbye seems to absolve Kevin of the rape and murder one of his personalities perpetrated in the last film. And when the moment comes, when you’re watching it with an audience, the place just goes insane. ‘Split’ would be the second act, the setting up of the final conflict, and the introduction of a physically equal supervillain for our superhero, the nemesis being the mental equal. Staple and her minions succeed at killing David and Kevin once they have become weakened by fighting one another. In EW’s 2015 oral history of that film, the follow-up fantasies were discussed with aplomb by Shyamalan and Jackson. I do think about it a lot.”, Jackson added, “Night’s still around. Please try again later. You must be smiling a bit. Whatever happens, the implication is that the story of Elijah Prince aka. Get 1 year for just $15. When Split premiered in 2017, fans were shocked when director M. Night … You have 1 free article left. Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), devises a plan to escape the psychiatric ward where he, Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) and David Dunn (Bruce Willis) are being kept. I’m still around. The films can also be seen moving, almost in a rank like fashion, or like an echelon, from the genetic decoding of a hero to a villain, with ‘ Split ’ proving to be the pit-stop, the in-between, the antihero. But in Glass, Shyamalan seems less concerned with surprising the audience than hammering home the philosophical ideas he introduced in the films’ two predecessors. Only after declaring victory does Staple realize that Elijah planned and recorded the entire fight. The villain distills the movie’s philosophy in one creepy line: “Rejoice! Elijah tells him, “You’re a comic book character, go try it.” And instead of bumping into the Orange Suit Man, David bumps into one of Kevin’s personalities and goes to save the girls. Elijah says, “It wasn’t a special edition. These do not influence editorial content, though Meredith may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. Split also blew the minds of Shyamalan's long-time fans by featuring an end-credits coda that revealed none other than Bruce Willis portraying his everyman superhero David Dunn and a direct mention of Elijah Price/Mr. Unbreakable is the first part of the Unbreakable trilogy; the follow-up film Split was made as a "back * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. © 2021 TIME USA, LLC. It’s a slightly problematic notion, especially in Casey’s case: Shyamalan essentially implies that sexual abuse can lead to women feeling more empowered, which undercuts the suffering that those women have experienced and minimizes their agency. The Ending Of Glass Explained. The abuse that Kevin Wendell Crumb experiences as a kid in Split results in him developing Dissociative Identity Disorder and eventually, his superpowers. But basically it’s similar to Unbreakable. Can you make an origins story that the audience doesn’t know is an origins story until the last image of the movie. That elusive Unbreakable sequel.Yeah. Digital Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Please attempt to sign up again. Get 1 year for just $15. Glass is a 2019 American psychological superhero thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who also produced with Jason Blum, Marc Bienstock, and Ashwin Rajan.It was co-produced by John Rusk, who was also the 1st assistant director on this film as well as on many other Shyamalan's films. Get 1 year for just $15. Now, with Split, which stars James McAvoy as a man with at least 23 personalities, Shyamalan is continuing that hot streak. ... displaying their superhuman abilities in front of Glass, Staple, and their loved ones. The movie’s over, you all know that in the audience, but now I’m playing you Unbreakable music, James Newton Howard’s great score. WARNING: Spoilers for Glass. So he develops his intellect in order to survive. At the end of that movie, the Beast lets Casey, one of the teenagers he has kidnapped, go—all because she has suffered sexual abuse throughout her life. Even for M. Night Shyamalan, this twist was a … You have a limited number of free articles. One woman says that the story reminds her of another case, from years ago, involving “a funny guy in a wheelchair, what was his name?”. Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com. Glass' ending has three big twists, three major deaths, and leaves the future of M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable world irreversibly changed. This character, Kevin from Split, was in the original script of Unbreakable. Here, we'll break down what happened, what it really means, and where it could lead. Staple then erases the video footage and tells her superhuman-hating colleagues that she would like to continue to exterminate super people across the world in order to maintain the world order. The movie concludes with McAvoy’s character, who has gained the ability to transform into a 24th personality with supernatural strength called the Beast, on the loose, having escaped capture by the authorities. He was like, “Oh, man, I might get to do another movie with Bruce? Next twist: it’s been an origin story all along. In part, this ending is a rebuke of the blockbuster superhero movies that have come to dominate pop culture in the 19 years since M. Night Shyamalan put Unbreakable into the world. David Dunn (Bruce Willis) then leans forward and says, “Mr. Yes, Split is set in the same world as 2000's Unbreakable , which starred Samuel L. Jackson as the villain. “People have approached me about continuing the story,” Shyamalan said at the time, “but the idea of doing a traditional sequel doesn’t inspire me. Since the events of Unbreakable, Elijah has been obsessed with the idea that comic books are a historical record of real superheroes. As Elijah dies, his mother asks him how he, a comic books expert, could not have predicted this ending. "Mr. Glass", isn't over yet. Magazines, After Derek Chauvin Trial, Activists Get Back to Work, Digital That was the outline. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. And how much of that screenplay had you written?A lot. What did James McAvoy say when you told him this? The Shyamalan twist in the movie is when David and the audience are shown that Elijah has been killing people to locate David. The Beast responds by crushing Elijah’s fragile bones, fatally injuring him. Up until this point, Elijah has pitched this final battle as the sort of showdown that typically shows up in the “special editions” of comic books. We weren’t worrying about the tag [movie lingo for a short scene at the very end of a film]. By signing up you are agreeing to our, How Black Filmmakers Are Reclaiming Their History Onscreen. Casey—despite having just been held hostage by Kevin and watching him eat two of her classmates just a few weeks earlier—is determined to help his kinder personalities emerge and suppress the Beast. Split Ending & Final Twist Explained: 'Split Ending & Twist Explained. Glass” before Bruce Willis even appeared. She holds him in her lap and cries with him as he dies. Twenty years after The Sixth Sense shocked audiences, M. Night Shyamalan’s name has become synonymous with the twist ending. Magazines. If David doesn’t agree, Elijah says he will blow up the building. But given that these powerful people now exist, Shyamalan believes that to deny their superiority, as Dr. Staple does, would be wrong. Actually, in fact, I didn’t put the ending on when we first test screened the movie. Some people in the audience were screaming out “Mr. So you get the premise. The film sees David Dunn (Bruce Willis), Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), and Elijah AKA Mr Glass … He kills the two of the kidnapped girls but spares the third one when he discovers marks of sexual abuse on her body. James Newton Howard’s dark, lush score to. He relates to her because he, too, had a rough childhood. I’m almost there but I’m not quite there. So now hypothetically this seems like a perfect segue into a third film. They hope that other downtrodden people will discover their superpowers. Elijah, Mr Glass, the man on the wheelchair, is arrested. Our job was to make Split a great psychological thriller with supernatural overtones. Jan 17, ... Mr. Glass, and the Beast (et al ... who narrowly escaped being eaten by the Beast in Split … But on top of that, I wanted it to win as its own movie. Glass." A third of the audience is like, “Wait, what’s happening?” Their minds are kind of reeling. You like Split as its own movie? Worse, Elijah is hailed as a hero in the final moments, even though he consciously, intentionally, and without excuse killed hundreds if not thousands of people in Unbreakable. ... Split Ending Explained: What The Bizarre Twist Ending Means ... saying "Mr. But now the standards for my outlines are higher. Anyone who saw Unbreakable and Split probably predicted a grim finish to the triology. It’s very effective where it comes in the film — all the way at the very end, after just the film’s title has been flashed on the screen. Meredith has affiliate partnerships. Sometimes that’s been to his detriment, and after the release in 2008’s The Happening (in which a wave of mass suicide was caused by trees and plants), his name began to fall from favor in the public imagination. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our. https://ew.com/movies/2017/01/20/split-m-night-shyamalan-ending-interview Trauma, Shyamalan asserts, forges strength. And you were. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Casey, David’s son, and Elijah’s mother become the heroes of the film when they join together to reveal the powers of their loved ones to the world. Then again, the Split sequel could instead see Kevin and Elijah temporarily team up like Magneto and Apocalypse did in last year's X-Men: Apocalypse - before Elijah changes sides and undergoes a redemption arc, or something to that effect. Elijah’s mother implores him not to let the mental hospital deplete him and tells her dying son that he was spectacular at the end.