M. Night Shyamalan Said He Pitched Thriller ‘Trap’ Like ‘The Silence of the Lambs at a Taylor Swift Concert’

Théo Wargo / Charles McQuillan / TAS24 / Getty Images / Warner Bros.

M. Night Shyamalan’s next film is Trapa psychological thriller starring Josh Hartnett and set for release on August 2.

The film’s writer, director and producer recently explained how he came up with the idea, recounting Empire“What if The Silence of the Lambs performed at a Taylor Swift concert?”

Trap The action takes place at a concert, an event organized by the police to capture a serial killer nicknamed “The Butcher.” Shyamalan has said that his film was partly inspired by Operation Flagship, a 1985 sting operation in which U.S. Marshals offered NFL tickets to lure and capture fugitives.

“It was hilarious,” Shyamalan said. “The cops were literally cheerleaders and mascots. These guys were dancing as they came in. And they all got caught. It was so twisted and funny.”

Of the film, Shyamalan said, “I did an entire concert! And it wasn’t just a background element. It’s just as important. There’s no fake concert. I like the idea of ​​cinema as a window within a window. One of the reasons you have to come see the movie in a theater is that there’s literally a real concert that you can’t see anywhere else except in this movie.”

Shyamalan’s real-life daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, stars in the film as Lady Raven, the pop star who performs at the concert. Trap also stars Ariel Donoghue, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill, Marnie McPhail and Vanessa Smythe.

The filmmaker also stressed the importance of creating original films, adding: “I want the industry to move towards more original stories. I think audiences would really appreciate that. I know intellectual property is a security. But it’s really important that we go to the movies and see something that we’ve never seen before. I’ll continue to fight for that.”