After Zack Snyder recently converted Stephen Colbert’s talk show into an action-packed adventure, Colbert invited M. Night Shyamalan to put his own eerie spin on the format, and the twisty filmmaker delivered all the way to the shocking end.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert isn’t the obvious candidate for thrilling psychodrama, what with its well-lit stage and staid formula where people sit on a couch and talk about whatever movie they just made. Even “Movie” Night Shyamalan isn’t immune to namedropping his series Servant during his appearance. Yet what he does for the show is a revelation. The new Colbert is infused with grim unease, unsettling creatures, well-timed Goodfellas references, and a hair-raising cameo. In short, committing to this as a full concept instead of a bit would require Colbert to go into gonzo Chris Gethard comedic territory that would delightfully alienate all of his regular viewers.
Also, the budget for alien costumes would shoot right through the roof. It might be cheaper to get real aliens, but there’s enough much bottled water on set to guarantee a nasty lawsuit.
Curiously, Shyamalan didn’t mention that he has a movie in theaters on February 3rd. Knock at the Cabin, starring Dave Bautista, is based on the Paul Tremblay book where a vacationing family is forced to make impossible choices to avoid the end of the world from happening. Whether it’s a hit or not, Shyamalan will always have a fallback job directing The Late Show.