Post-blockbuster Summer Movie Guide

Lady in the Water

Bryce Dallas Howard as the &quot;Lady in the Water&quot;
Bryce Dallas Howard as the "Lady in the Water"
  1. "Lady in the Water" is based on a bedtime story M. Night Shyamalan created for his children. He later wrote a prose version of the story and adapted it into a screenplay.
  2. A hardcover edition of Shyamalan's book will be published with pictures from the movie and more information on the Narfs, the mystical creatures that live under the water.
  3. Shyamalan is preparing to publish another book in conjunction with the release of "Lady in the Water." This one, however, is not a bedtime story. "The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale," recounts Shyamalan's battle with Disney over the film and the events that eventually led to his decision to leave the studio. The book is written unapologetically from Shyamalan's point of view and includes his harsh criticism of Disney and the breaking of several close friendships.
  4. All of Shyamalan's films except for his first one, "Praying with Anger" (1992), have been filmed in Pennsylvania. "Lady in the Water "was shot on a Jacobson Logistics warehouse site, on which the crew build a set of apartments and a half row of houses. Shyamalan lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
  5. The Sci-Fi Channel aired a documentary on Shyamalan that claims that when he was a child, Shyamalan fell into a frozen pond and was clinically dead for a half hour after. It was later revealed that the documentary and all of Shyamalan's very public objections to it were faked as part of a publicity stunt.
  6. Shyamalan is known for including many odd twists or unexpected events in his movies to make audiences gasp. "Lady in the Water" is unique among his films in that it doesn't have a shocking plot twist…that we know of.
  7. Shyamalan has had a small part in each of his films, with the exception of "Wide Awake." He will appear in as a minor character in "Lady in the Water."
  8. When each of his previous films was released on DVD, Shyamalan has included one of his very early short films that was similar in theme or direction. Look for a similar early inspiration when "Lady in the Water" is released on DVD.
  9. Shyamalan's full real name is Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan. While attending New York University, he created the pen name M. Night Shyamalan.
  10. Shyamalan's films tend to have a darker, edgy aspect to them, but few people know that he also worked on the screenplay of "Stuart Little."

Opens on July 21, 2006