M. Night Shyamalan Says He Pitched Thriller ‘Trap’ As “Silence Of The Lambs At A Taylor Swift Concert”
(L-R) M. Night Shyamalan, Taylor Swift, Josh Hartnett Theo Wargo / Charles McQuillan / TAS24 / Getty Images / Warner Bros.
M. Night Shyamalan‘s next film is Trap, a psychological thriller that stars Josh Hartnett and will open on August 2.
The writer, director, and producer of the film recently opened up about how he pitched the idea, telling Empire, “What if The Silence Of The Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?”
Trap is set at a concert, an event organized by police to capture a serial killer dubbed “The Butcher.” Shyamalan said his film was partially inspired by the real-life Operation Flagship, a 1985 sting operation in which U.S. Marshals offered NFL tickets to lure and capture fugitives.
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“It was hilarious,” Shyamalan said. “The cops were literally cheerleaders and mascots. These guys were dancing as they came in. And they were all caught. It was so twisted and funny.”
For the film, Shyamalan said, “I directed an entire concert! And it wasn’t just a thing in the background. It’s equally important. There is no pretend concert going on. I love the idea of cinema as windows within windows. One of the reasons to come see the movie at the movie theatre is because there’s literally a real concert that you can see nowhere except in that movie.”
Shyamalan real-life daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, stars in the film as Lady Raven, the pop star playing at the concert. Trap also stars Ariel Donoghue, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill, Marnie McPhail, and Vanessa Smythe.
The filmmaker also noted the importance of creating original movies, adding, “I want the industry to move towards more original storytelling. I think audiences would really like it. Look, I know there’s safety in IP. But it’s really important that we come to the movies and see something we’ve never seen before. I’ll keep fighting for that.”