Cool News
Shyamalan Gets Into The TV Game With Syfy And BUFFY Showrunner Marti Noxon!!
M. Night Shyamalan has gotten into the scripted TV business.
The writer-director behind “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable,” “Signs,” “The Village,” “Lady in the Water,” “The Happening” and “The Last Airbender” will make his TV directorial debut for a Syfy pilot titled “Proof.”
The Hollywood Reporter has the premise:
Proof centers on the son of a billionaire tech genius who, following an accident that claims his parents' lives, offers a large reward for anyone who can find proof of life after death.
Could someone get rich just by showing the billionaire a stack of Syfy’s “Ghost Hunters” DVDs?
Marti Noxon – who followed two years as showrunner on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” with stints on “Point Pleasant,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Mad Men” and “Glee” – will co-write the pilot with Shyamalan.
Noxon has also recently established a movie career, having scripted the 2011 vampire remake “Fright Night” and co-scripted the 2011 extraterrestrial teen saga “I Am Number Four.”
Find the Reporter’s story on the matter here.
Readers Talkback
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Is it that he can't convince studios anymore to give him money for movies.
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I'm proving it right now, Shamalamalan is getting work after losing a shitload of money for movie studios. There's your life after death.
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Call first, second and third!
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Like that scene in the Jerk were everybody was begging for money for cat juggling and such. But serious.
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I wish he would get into regional theater so as few people as possible could bear witness to his increasingly poorly thought out work. On the other hand, perhaps Ms. Noxon will have learned from season six of Buffy, where bad ideas were abound, and can be the crisp editorship needed to preen M. Night's showmanship towards more exciting, better though-through work. (and I guess everyone is going to do this: the twist is ... the main character's parents are alive ... and living in his hou-oooooooooose)....
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Cuz ghosts.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 4:57 p.m. CST
He used to be one of the most promising directors in Hollywood, now he's directing vanity projects for Will Smith and TV pilots.
by Mr. Pricklepants
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The ending of each episode will offer a twist! __________________________ Can we please have 2 things: 1.) Proper sequel to 'Unbreakable' 2.) COMPLETE reboot to Avatar: The Last Airbender If not, M. Night shouldn't be allowed to work anymore .... k'thanks.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hksKLHt9Kzg
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Aug. 3, 2012, 5:42 p.m. CST
M. Night together with 'Toxin'.. whatever this is it will redefine 'suck'
by -Halfscan-
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I guess he'll embarrass himself on tv now, since he drove his Hollywood career into a ditch. Overrated two-trick pony.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 6:09 p.m. CST
The twist is that his parents are killed when exposed to water
by SifoDyasJr
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Aug. 3, 2012, 6:09 p.m. CST
and they all lived in an amish commune that sees dead people
by SifoDyasJr
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Aug. 3, 2012, 6:10 p.m. CST
and, live everything else he's done after Unbreakable, it will suck
by SifoDyasJr
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This will be garbage, because the team behind it is garbage. And the description sounds like sounds like it's going to be Ghost Hunters: The Drama.
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remember when Sixth sense came out and this guy could do no wrong.
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Shamalamadingdong and Syfi-a match made in mediocre heaven.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 7:35 p.m. CST
Part of me thinks this could be interesting. The other part brings up movies like The Happening.
by happybunni
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The network might actually get interesting.
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I just looked up Noxon's post-Buffy resume, think my earlier enthusiasm may be misplaced.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 8:29 p.m. CST
Still not sure why this egotistical fuck doesn't just make The Unbreakable Man and The Revenge of Mr. Glass like he claimed he would years ago
by Deaft0ne
it would make everyone happy and give him a chance to redeem himself after all the utter shit he's blasted out from his cinematic cancerous colon that began with the terrible Signs. After Earth will be shit, and this stupid show that sounds like some mashup of 'The Riches' from FX and Proof of Life will be shit as well. Complete the Unbreakable trilogy you asshole.
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worst season of the bunch
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Aug. 3, 2012, 9:15 p.m. CST
Unbreakable was seen by the studio as a failure, they'd never bankroll a sequel...
by Stegman84
With a 75 million dollar budget, plus extensive and expensive advertising campaign on top of that, the film still only pulled in something like 95 million total at the domestic box office. Even though it did slightly better overseas, and sold quite well initially on dvd/rental, it was still seen as a failed release by the studio, who wouldn't bite on a sequel despite Willis and Jackson being on board and pushing for one (back when their names still carried a bit more hollywood clout, to boot). The fact that it was a good movie and generally pretty well recieved by critics and a good percentage of the audience that saw it, the accountants that run most of hollywood pretty much stamped it 'not to be continued' from the moment that it turned out not to be anywhere close to being the next Sixth Sense. Resurrecting it for a sequel now? Not gonna happen. More likely they'll try to remake or 'reboot' it on film or tv at some point.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 9:46 p.m. CST
The twist is they find proof and the dead parents say it was their son who killed them
by tangcameo
What a twist!
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Before Sixth Sense he was Bruno, after Sixth Sense he was Mr Willis.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 9:52 p.m. CST
stegman84 i'm not sure what sources you are citing regarding Unbreakable but it made about $250 million worldwide and an additional $95 million in DVD sales
by Deaft0ne
There was never any question if Disney/Touchstone would produce a sequel, they were going to and M. Night and Willis and Jackson mentioned it over the years as 'being worked on' in interviews. M. Night dropped the fucking ball by doing Signs and The Village and Lady In The Water and The Happening and just shit movie after shit movie. He abandoned doing a sequel and a 3rd film with the David Dunn and Mr. Glass characters because he thought his other movies he did instead were great works of cinema when they are anything but. I hope he comes to his senses and DOES complete the trilogy because Willis and Jackson sure as fuck are not spring chickens but they could pull it off if it's done in the next 5 years where it wouldn't be embarassing. Less as for Sam Jackson since his character is already messed up and somewhat disabled but Bru-Willy is still rolling with the punches in the probably shitty A Good Day To Die Hard and Red 2.
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He sucks!
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Aug. 3, 2012, 10:40 p.m. CST
They missed the chance to make Unbreakable 2 when Kick Ass came out
by Hardboiled Wonderland
That was their opporunity, but they missed it. Sorry to say guys, but there will never, ever be another Unbreakable movie. It's not going to happen.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 10:42 p.m. CST
Kick Ass showed audiences want alternative superheroes
by Hardboiled Wonderland
is what I meant to add to my previous post. It was a bandwagon Shyamalan should have leapt onto and held on to like his life depended on it (his film career certainly does), and pitched his more adult Unbreakable sequel until he dropped dead.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 10:43 p.m. CST
Heroes season 1 was another missed opportunity for Unbreakable to jump on the bandwagon
by Hardboiled Wonderland
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...that makes you think Unbreakable 2 would be a film worth a damn? I still think Sixth Sense and Unbreakable are great films, strong acting with a confident style/pace and well put together. But they're also the same film. Pacing, plotting, reveals, seriously, if you ever have a chance to watch them back to back give it a shot, you'll see they follow the same story beats almost exactly. Just one is a ghost hunter origin story, the other is a super hero origin story. It still works, I'm just pointing it out to say that Unbreakable wasn't the work of a master story teller, but of someone who had a storytelling formula that was still somewhat fresh at that time. I think Shylaman has all but proven there's zero chance he's able to grow out beyond that to make something interesting or ambitious happen with the sequel. Unbreakable 2 would be formulaic dreck or a mindless bore (given what he did with Last Airbender, it'd likely be both).
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Aug. 4, 2012, 1:13 a.m. CST
The last airbender made sure he will only be on tv for the rest of his career.
by Balkin Flabgurter
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Aug. 4, 2012, 1:17 a.m. CST
in all reality shyamalan is the equivilant of molyneux
by Balkin Flabgurter
cool names, big promises, shabby results.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 1:28 a.m. CST
Yeah but if Night could beg and plead to get Goyer and/or Jon Nolan to write the Unbreakable sequels
by Deaft0ne
Night can just direct. He is out of options once After Earth tanks and no one watches this stupid show. I say he ends up doing it.
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What could possibly go wrong?
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rape, and vampires.
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raped by a vampire.
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I have nothing further on the matter at hand.
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Yes, this premise sounds awful, and yes its on syfy not cool. really. is this the best idea that came through development? I wish aicn had a way to figure about a way to crowdsource all the knowledge (minus plants and dickheads) here to get some better ideas pitched and into the final round.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 6:33 a.m. CST
re: "a large reward for anyone who can find proof of life after death."
by buggerbugger
So it's basically a series where nobody finds proof of life after death, probably not even in the end-of-cancelled-series cliffhanger-ending episode?
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:43 a.m. CST
Haley Joel Osment is looking for proof of life after the death of his career.
by tonagan
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"Noxon has also recently established a movie career, having scripted the 2011 vampire remake “Fright Night” and co-scripted the 2011 extraterrestrial teen saga “I Am Number Four.” Is that supposed to impress me? Between her resume and M. Night - they've pretty much guaranteed I'll stay away from this. Oh SyFy channel, is there no limit to your terribleness?
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Aug. 4, 2012, 9:23 a.m. CST
I think M. Night also suffers from some unique fucktard personality ego disorder
by Russell
Why didnt anyone tell him this was a shit idea? It sounds like a crappy snoozefest that will just be a fucking joke.
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But what you are failing to take into account is the fact that the film was still perceived as a financial failure, and studios almost never sequelise a film that they can't unequivocally say was a hit. Most studios also don't put a lot of mind to worldwide grosses, domestic grosses are still seen as king in Hollywood, rightly or wrongly, because that is where they get their greatest return percentage from, by far. Let me break down what I mean. The film cost 75 million to make. With extensive advertising and promotional you are looking at, quite conservatively, say another 20 million on top of the budget outlay. We'll forget about development, pre-prod, sweeteners and other miscellaneous expenses and for sake of argument well just say combined that's now an outlay by the studio of 95 million. At the U.S. domestic box office the film makes around 95 million, so they break even, right? Well, no. Exhibitors get half the take, so even ignoring the studios own distribution costs in creating and delivering the prints, or paying a third party to do so, let's say they have the best deals ever in place and they get to pocket all of their half. For a 95 million outlay they are currently sitting on 47.5 million dollar return. Now the film makes, let's round it upwards and say 160 million worldwide. Now worldwide distribution across multiple territories is actually far more costly, far more convoluted, and ultimately far less profitable. And by the time that all the international exhibitors and distributors and partnerships are paid the studio cut is actually quite small. But again let us be super generous and say
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The fact that he thought the twist in the Village couldn't be guessed when it was obvious from the start. Lady in the Water...nuff said. The Happening was neither classic horror nor modern horror it was just silly. And don't get me started on the last air bender, a film I can't believe he directed and released. I think he's over due for a come back. DEVIL was a neat way to get his hands off a good idea. Unfortunately I fear the shyamalan of the sixth sense will never return.
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Ter Anyway let's be super generous and say the studio ultimately walks away with a third of the worldwide take after all is said and done. So rounding upwards again, let's say that brings in another 53.5 million. Now on their 95 million outlay they have a return of 101 million. Or a measly 6 million dollar profit. DVD and rental brings in another 95 million total, but after manufacturing, distribution, retail and rental all get their cut of that, let us be very generous and say the studio sees 25% of that. So rounding upwards again we'll grant them 24 million, bringing them to a mere 30 million total profit after a year or more. Most of which came from the non-theatrical arm. Those are not good numbers in Hollywood Studio eyes, and their actual accounting would be far more brutal than mine ever was. And it is the accountants that ultimately run Hollywood. Now they may have had discussions, as Hollywood does about a great many vanity projects in order to placate the talent and keep in good with them for other potential projects. But I just can't see a Hollywood that lives by the credo that the numbers don't lie (even as they manipulate those same numbers for their benefit) ever seriously considering making a sequel. Sure, crazier things have happened I guess. But not very often.
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Sixh Sense was not good besides a good performance from Osment. Willis was not good in it, the twist was obvious and repeated viewings make the film seem even sillier. I don't remember liking Unbreakable, I may have to revisit it.
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But does the studio and M. Night really think that After Earth is going to be that big of a hit? Doesn't it release about a week after Man of Steel and close to The Wolverine? It's also hardly an original idea and has to contend with the fact thst M. Night has left a sour taste in the mouths of filmgoers with the shit he churns out and also a lot of people are not going to be thrilled with the blatant nepotism of Will Smith acting with his real fucking son and he's playing his Dad in this stupid movie. Disney may not have wanted to produce an Unbreakable sequel, but if you entertain the idea of a teaser trailer being filmed on the sly and then debuting out of nowhere at Comicon in a couple years, everyone would jizz their pants and the buildup would make a sequel hugely profitable since the first movie came out a decade ago. Unbreakable was and still is his best idea but he's squandered it for who knows what reason and I seriously can't believe that he thinks all the shit he's put out since then is really better.
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The twist is that it's an origin super hero story in disguise. I feel a sequel would ruin everything great about the film. Not writing a sequel is probably the ONLY smart thing Shyamalan has done since that film. Unbreakable is fantastic and it stands alone. Trust me, be careful what you wish for. Do you want the M. Night Shyamalan of TODAY to direct that sequel? Do you trust him? He's a "don't give me notes" ego maniac. I don't trust him with anything especially a return to argueably his best film.
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I know I'm repeating myself, but I really don't think there'd be anything worth seeing to an Unbreakable sequel. The thing we all liked about Unbreakable was that it was essentially a super hero origin story told completely straight. What's a sequel going to do? Bruce Willis wasn't especially amazing or charming, his super power isn't that interesting, Sam Jackson's villain isn't terribly engrossing. And that's not a knock, they weren't supposed to be, they were stock comic book characters inserted into this *real world*, that was the point. But now that that's out of the way, the sequel wouldn't have anywhere to go but to just out and out be a super hero story, but with these kind of bland super hero arch types, there's really nothing of interest or worth of this world to go revisiting. Sometimes it's just best to let a film be its own thing, and not try to force it into the franchise mold.
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for real. build up his cred again, keep working his nuts off until he gets another run. he done some great movies and some dire moves. he's capable of great things. its not like he's ratner or something. some quality art house flicks and he can get back in the game.
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Weird, your post wasn't there when I made mine, now I just look like I'm weirdly plagiarizing your thoughts.
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I got you to click to view this comment, yet I have nothing profound or humorous to say.
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The twice yearly release of handheld games that recycle the Kingdom Hearts 2 engine. I'm sure Haley Joel gets Disney checks for those.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 4:34 p.m. CST
Re: deaft0ne . no no no! knight is a horrible director, that's the problem. he's an ok writer. he'd absolutely wreck fantastic goyer/nolan writing
by happybunni
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Aug. 4, 2012, 4:40 p.m. CST
stegman84, you're forgetting that Unbreakable 2 would be a sequel to a popular franchise
by happybunni
That right there is worth $50M at least in advertising or what ever else. Since it's a sequel, it already has a built in market and is far less risky than the original was.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 4:43 p.m. CST
Also M knight has been done for awhile, anyone who doesn't realize this has a distorted sense of time. It's been 12 YEARS since M Knight did anything of value... Longer than that even!
by happybunni
Sixth Sense was released in 1999, Unbreakable in 2000. He probably stopped working on Unbreakable in 1999. To see these constant discussions about whether he can make a come back or what ever is just ridiculous. He has been terrible for 12 years, and on a decline, you don't come back from that.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 6:16 p.m. CST
The Highlander Rule dictates that you can make a sequel out of the most un-sequal-able movies
by Mugato5150
....but Unbreakable, no. It was meant as a superhero origin movie but that's it. I don't think it was actually meant to be a franchise with a sour-puss Bruce Willis putting on a raincoat and fighting crime in some poorly shot action sequences. It's like the end of The Dark Knight Rises with Jennifer Love Hewitt finding the bat cave. Sure, he'll be the next Batman but we don't actually have to see it. He'll actually be a pretty boring Batman.
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The original is great, and one of night's only movies that I can get on board with for repeated viewings. But the m night of today couldn't pull it off. It would be a heap of garbage served on a pretty ego platter. There are so many great stories to tell, and better storytellers to tell them. The biggest m night twist is how his career keeps going on...
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If you're attempting to make a joke by calling Joseph-Gordon Levitt Jennifer Love Hewitt then it's not working. Also, you're the idiot that missed the entire point of Terminator 2 so your opinion on whether an Unbreakable sequel would work or not is even less relevant. A sequel CAN work with the right idea and letting someone else write it if M. Night can't come up with anything good for a sequel. Judging from tripe like Lady In The Water, that might be the best option for him. There are many films that have a great first movie that you would never imagine would have a sequel but there is always more of a story to tell for anything. The beginning and discovery is always interesting but you can always keep going by continuing most stories. As I said before, once After Earth bombs and this show is cancelled, what other options does he have besides going back to square one? ie: his first couple of movies. I wouldn't put it past him to do a sequel to The Sixth Sense with an older Haley Joel Osment and make even that work. I don't really need to see a sequel to that but who knows. Unbreakable is still the most likely and with Bruce Willis game for a lot of sequels at this point in his career like RED 2 and 2 more Die Hard movies he certainly would not be opposed to it. The Unbreakable Man is going to happen, there's no options left for M. Night to not do it and he won't be able to direct other people's screenplays for very long due to his oversized ego but would probably make an exception for an Unbreakable sequel.
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I think most average people have forgotten about it. Secondly, it's no longer original. And lastly, no one in there teens right now probably saw the original. It would probably break even/make a little profit after marketing/distribution costs, but when it comes to genre programming-- studios want to earn big in the bank.
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...Shyamalan should be fetching coffee on film sets, not directing. He could not have made more of a mess of that movie if he'd actually tried.
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Aug. 5, 2012, 2:43 a.m. CST
Twist Ending every Week! Be there on the same Bat channel!
by chien_sale
That would be entertaining though!
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and more restraint than your typical current director. He just needs a masterful writing partner and too be less self-indulgent in places. Though his plots aren't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. They don't match the quality of his aesthetic, but thety just need to be far stronger. He is stuck trying to emulate Hitchcock and Serling.
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That material is fucking gold, every season better then the last. Why they gave that to Shyamaladingdong is just another bad plot twist.
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In the hands of a great film-maker it could have been the new LORD OF THE RINGS. Give it another decade or so and a passionate maverick director might come back to it and do it properly.
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and not having much luck or excitement
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Most of you guys are full of shit. He hasn't ruined his movie career. No matter how bad his movies are they still make money, lol. I could be wrong but wasn't The Last Airbender a moderate success? Now he has the biggest movie star in the world, Will Smith, onboard his next movie project. I know you guys hate his movies but I'm sorry he's not going away.
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how is it being full of shit, the guy has a island full of cash for the hype he manages to get behind his crap, the last airbender sucked ass, you know it, i know it..will smith isn't exactly the jewel of movie making either so by those two comparisons i will say yes, if you define success by numbers than michael bay is extremely succesful, but he still sucks ass and is a consistent let-down, just like shyonyourmamalan
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Errors and typos galore.
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Aug. 6, 2012, 7:30 a.m. CST
So, for the show to last - there can be no 'proof' at end of each episode?
by impossibledreamers
Oh it was just old man Winters all along!
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No-one wants to see Unbreakable 2.
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You said it, you completly hit the nail in the head. One of the best observations i ever read in here concerning M. Night Shyamalan. You save me posting on the subject because i woud say the very same thing you did above. Good job, mate.
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