M. Night Shyamalan—a consistently interesting, often inspired director who’s become something of a cornball punchline because not all of his movies are good—is in negotiations with Joaquin Phoenix for a project that would start shooting this November. Phoenix previously worked with Shyamalan on The Village, a movie that is probably much better than you remember, and Signs, a movie that is probably not as cool as it seemed when you first saw it, despite boasting an obliquely staged climax that effectively splits the difference between Steven Spielberg and Robert Bresson.
Deadline reports that the as-yet-untitled film will be produced by horror impresario Jason Blum, whose Blumhouse Productions is responsible for Sinister, Insidious, The Purge, Paranormal Activity, and, oddly enough, Whiplash. Shyamalan—who has been on something of a kick lately, what with Wayward Pines and the upcoming, Blum-produced The Visit—will shoot the film in his hometown, Philadelphia. All plot details are being kept under wraps, though, as with The Visit, the budget will be relatively low; following the clumsy re-cutting of After Earth and The Last Airbender, the director has more or less committed to financing projects himself in order to ensure final cut privileges.