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Joaquin Phoenix in Talks to Reunite With M. Night Shyamalan

Photo: John Shearer/Jeffrey Mayer/Getty Images/WireImage

M. Night Shyamalan seems to be vying for a sort of renaissance, with Wayward Pines earning fairly good reviews and his upcoming film, the low-budget, self-financed The Visit, marking his return to indie horror. Now Deadline reports that Shyamalan is in talks reunite with an old collaborator: Joaquin Phoenix. The premise for the film remains mysterious, as is the case with most of Shyamalan’s movies, but production will tentatively begin this fall, with the shoot taking place in Philadelphia. Phoenix last appeared in Shyamalan’s The Village (2004), the film held up by many as the point when the filmmaker’s reputation took a nosedive. It was a box-office hit, earning over $250 million, but it was also his first film to earn a “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. (None of his films has been “Fresh” since.) The year after The Village, Phoenix earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, while Shyamalan made Lady in the Water. Hopefully reuniting with Phoenix could foment a creative resurgence for the filmmaker.

Joaquin Phoenix to Reunite With Shyamalan