Usually, you have to wait until the last few minutes of an M. Night Shyamalan movie to figure out the twist. However, for his new movie, the filmmaker reveals the twist in the trailer, and it’s incredibly intriguing.
The man behind The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable was at CinemaCon 2024 this week to debut the first look at Trap, his brand-new film coming to theaters August 9. Up until now, all anyone knew about the film was that it starred Josh Hartnett and there was a rumor that it took place at a concert. But that was it.
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Shyamalan took the stage at CinemaCon and revealed the first trailer with the film, the idea of which he crafted along with his daughter Saleka. In the trailer, we see a father (Hartnett) taking his young daughter to a concert. They get in, take their seats, the concert starts, and everything is going great. Dad tells his daughter to stay at the seat because he’s going to the bathroom. On his way to the bathroom, Dad notices some strange things going on. There are a lot of police at this concert. Cameras are being set up. Something is very weird about all this. He goes to a merch booth and asks one of the workers what’s going on.
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The worker tells Dad that he’s not supposed to spill the beans, but he will. Apparently, there’s a serial killer on the loose named The Butcher and the police got a tip that he’s going to be at this concert. In fact, everything about the concert—including it actually happening—is just a trap to catch The Butcher. They’ve got all the exits closed, no one is able to leave, they’re going to get him.
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Dad looks surprised at this revelation. Why? Because when he goes into the bathroom and opens his phone, he reveals a live stream of a bound and gagged man. It turns out, Dad, a.k.a. Josh Hartnett, is The Butcher. And now he’s going to have to figure out how to get out of this trap, which also includes his daughter.
Knowing M. Night Shyamalan, the fact that this is revealed in the trailer for Trap means that it’s not exactly a huge spoiler. Our guess is the reveal comes maybe at the end of the first act, and there’s still plenty more movie to go. But either way, it’s a very solid Shyamalan twist. The main character is the killer the film is trying to catch. Do we cheer for him? Do we hate him? It’s unclear.
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What is clear is that Shyamalan has another very unique thriller on his hands and we’ll see it play out August 9.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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