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Som Chivukula
Has M Night Shyamalan decided against casting Bruce Willis in the final film of his supernatural 'trilogy'?
The question arises amidst Hollywood buzz that Mel Gibson is in negotiations with Disney to star in Shyamalan's latest film, Signs.
Willis, the star of Shyamalan's two previous blockbusters, The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, told reporters after the release of the latter that Unbreakable was the second of a trilogy.
At the time, Shyamalan quickly denied that a trilogy was planned. Yet, early last month, he signed an eight-figure deal to write and direct the new project. Like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, Signs is set in Shyamalan's hometown of Philadelphia and has a supernatural theme. It deals with the mysterious appearance of crop circles at a Pennsylvania farm.
Boxofficeguru.com editor Gitesh Pandya feels it may be time for Shyamalan to distance himself from Willis -- for now.
"People get bored by that, watching the same director and actor work again," he said. "The only exception to that may be Martin Scorsese and [Robert] DeNiro." (The two have worked together in over half a dozen movies).
Gibson is currently working as Commander Harold Moore in We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, a tale of a 1965 battle between American and Viet Cong troops. It is written and directed by Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay for Best Picture Oscar-winner Braveheart.
Gibson reportedly read Shyamalan's script -- one of the most guarded properties in Hollywood today, last week.
Gibson, who has been successful in a variety of genres, including comedy (What Women Want, Maverick), thrillers (Ransom) and action (Braveheart, Mad Max), may be enticed by Shyamalan's penchant for the supernatural.
Shyamalan's movie, which is expected to include intense psychology, eerie atmosphere and sustained suspense, could offer Gibson a challenge.
"We don't know about the script," Pandya said. "Maybe it's less [supernatural] than the others, but the directing style may be similar."
If Gibson accepts, he could be in for another huge payday. His last film, What Women Want, grossed over $365 million worldwide. He is among the handful of stars that receive $20 million per picture.
But Disney may prefer to sign Gibson to a medium-range salary with incentives, similar to Willis's deal for The Sixth Sense. It grossed over $700 million worldwide and, according to some reports, Willis made as much as $60 million from his back-end deal.
Unbreakable, though not in the same box-office category, has also done well, bringing in about $250 million worldwide.
"No matter what happens, Mel Gibson has the star power and both [Gibson and Willis] are big box-office draws," Pandya said. "It makes sense to get an A-list star."
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