Split Information

Split is a 2017 American psychological horror thriller film directed and written by M. Night Shyamalan. The film stars James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jessica Sula, Haley Lu Richardson and Betty Buckley. The film is a thematic sequel to the 2000 film Unbreakable. Principal photography began on November 11, 2015, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 26, 2016, and will be released on January 20, 2017, by Universal Pictures.

Synopsis

A man with 23 different personalities (James McAvoy) is compelled to abduct three female teenagers. As the girls are held captive, haunted by their predicament and their unpredictable efforts to escape this madman, a 24th and final personality - "The Beast" - begins to emerge. They begin to meet all his 23 personalities, to each their own. From a little boy to a sophisticated woman, the nightmare truly begins.

Cast

• James McAvoy as Kevin: A sufferer of multiple-personality disorder who kidnaps the teenage women. Kevin has several prominent personalities within the film some of which he calls Dennis, Hedwig, Barry, and The Beast.
• Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey
• Betty Buckley as Dr. Karen Fletcher
• Jessica Sula as Marcia
• Haley Lu Richardson as Claire
• Sterling K. Brown
• Kim Director as Hannah
• Lyne Rene as Academic Moderator
• Brad William Henke as Uncle John
• Sebastian Arcelus
• Neal Huff

Production

On August 26, 2015, it was announced that M. Night Shyamalan would next direct a thriller film based on his own script, which would star Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role. Shyamalan would also produce the film along with Jason Blum and Marc Bienstock. On October 2, 2015, James McAvoy was cast in the film to play the lead, replacing Phoenix. On October 12, 2015, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula, and Haley Lu Richardson were added to the cast. On October 27, 2015, Universal Pictures came on board to release the film and titled it as Split.

Principal photography on the film began on November 11, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reshoots occurred in June 2016. According to Shyamalan, Split is his longest movie to this date.

Release

Split was first scheduled to be released on January 27, 2017. On October 27, 2015, Universal later moved its release date from January 27, 2017, to January 20, 2017. The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas on September 26, 2016.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 78%, based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. Metacritic reports an average score 74 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Jordan Hoffman, of the British daily newspaper The Guardian, gave the film 4 stars out of 5, stating it to be a "masterful blend of Hitchcock, horror and therapy session."