The Watchers: Georgina Campbell joins Dakota Fanning in Ishana Night Shyamalan thriller

We recently heard that Barbarian star Georgina Campbell had signed on to star in the virus thriller Cold Storage with Liam Neeson and Joe Keery, and that she’s taking the lead in the thriller Psycho Killer, written by Se7en scribe Andrew Kevin Walker. Now The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Campbell is also set to join Dakota Fanning in the cast of a thriller called The Watchers, which marks the feature directorial debut of M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan. Filming is expected to begin in Ireland later this year, and a June 7, 2024 theatrical release has already been scheduled.

Fanning will take on the role of Mina, a 28-year-old artist who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers that are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night. Campbell’s character is one of the three strangers.

The younger Shyamalan has written the screenplay for The Watchers, based on a novel by A.M. Shine (pick up a copy HERE).

New Line Cinema’s Richard Brener provided the following statement: “We couldn’t be more excited to make Ishana’s first film with The Watchers. Equal parts visual, immersive, and terrifying, the script grips you from the first page and never lets go.“

M. Night Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan are producing The Watchers for Blinding Edge Pictures. Nimitt Mankad of Inimitable Pictures is also producing. Jo Homewood serves as executive producer.

Ishana Night Shyamalan has been an important part of the creative team behind her father’s Apple TV+ series Servant, writing and/or directing multiple episodes. Speaking about his daughter’s work on Servant last year, M. Night Shyamalan told Entertainment Weekly, “She has slightly more of a fantasy bend than I do. She speaks in bolder colors than I do. The camera is more canted or more grotesque in showing someone scarier. The disadvantage of being an accomplished artist is that your experience starts working against you. I see less options, because I’ve done so many things. She doesn’t see that; for her, everything is possible. There are advantages and disadvantages to the levels of experience that we each have.” 

In addition to her work on Servant, Ishana Night Shyamalan has also worked as second unit director on her father’s movies Old and Knock at the Cabin, and she has directed four music videos for her sister Saleka. She is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and was still attending the school when she started working on Servant.

I was impressed by Georgina Campbell’s performance in Barbarian, so I’m glad to hear she’ll be in The Watchers with Dakota Fanning. What do you think of this casting news? Let us know by leaving a comment below.