Interview: Ishana Night Shyamalan Gives an Inside Look at “The Watchers”

Ishana Night Shyamalan, fresh off her work on the Apple TV+ series Servant, is making her feature directorial debut with The Watchers. The fantasy thriller, adapted from the A.M. Stine novel, centers on Mina (Dakota Fanning), an artist trapped within an enchanted forest in western Ireland. With limited information and a set of rules no one understands, she must find her way out before falling prey to those on the outside.

Shyamalan, who has honed her skills as a second unit director on successful films Old and Knock at the Cabin, is excited for audiences to see her adaptation. A self-proclaimed "visuals first" director, the genre film plays to her strengths, showcasing her unique and enriched style.

We sat down with the second-generation storyteller to discuss the film, working with industry icon Dakota Fanning, and the pull she feels towards the fantasy genre. Enjoy!

About Stephen Davis

I owe this hobby/career to the one and only Stephanie Peterman who, while interning at Fox, told me that I had too many opinions and irrelevant information to keep it all bottled up inside. I survived my first rated R film, Alive, at the ripe age of 8, it took me months to grasp the fact that Julia Roberts actually died at the end of Steel Magnolias, and I might be the only person alive who actually enjoyed Sorority Row…for its comedic value of course. While my friends can drink you under the table, I can outwatch you when it comes iconic, yet horrid 80s films like Adventures in Babysitting and Troop Beverly Hills. I have no shame when it comes to what I like, and if you have a problem with that, then we’ll settle it on the racquetball court. I see too many movies to actually win any film trivia contest, so don’t waste your first pick on me. My friends rent movies from my bookcase shelves, and one day I do plan to start charging. I long to live in LA, where my movie obsession will actually help me fit in, but for now I am content with my home in Austin. I prefer indies to blockbusters, Longhorns to Sooners and Halloween to Friday the 13th. I miss the classics, as well as John Ritter, and I hope to one day sit down and interview the amazing Kate Winslet.