M. Night Shyamalan's new film poster baffles the internet

M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most divisive film directors around, which isn't surprising – this is the man behind both the brilliant The Sixth Sense and the less-than-brilliant The Last Airbender. Now the director has revealed that he's working on a brand new film, and he's just shared the title and teaser poster.

Shyamalan tweeted (below) that he has just begun shooting the film, titled Old, along with a poster revealing a July 2021 release date. Plot details remain a mystery, but the poster's bold and bizarre design suggests the director's penchant for the supernatural is as strong as ever. If you're looking for more striking poster designs, our best print ads list is full of head-turners.

See more

The design itself is appropriately grim for 2020. A monochrome hourglass is, on closer inspection, filled with falling bodies instead of sand. Accompanying the image is the tagline: 'It's only a matter of time'. It's a strong image – but what does it all mean?

Old movie poster

But what does it all MEAN?  (Image credit: M. Night Shyamalan)

Shyamalan is notoriously secretive about his projects, and fans are already taking to Twitter to guess what the film could be about, based solely on the title and poster (below). Assuming it isn't literally about a bunch people trapped inside an hourglass (although you never know), the poster is ripe for interpretation. 

See more
See more
See more

Indeed, the only thing that feels certain is that the film will feature a huge twist. From The Sixth Sense to The Village, Shyamalan's films are renowned for their rug-pulling endings. We've little to go on here, but with the hourglass and the 'Old' title, could we be in for a time travel-based shock? Or perhaps the real twist is that, if recent film delays are anything to go by, we'll all be old by the time this one finally hits cinemas. 

Like all the best poster designs, this one has got us (and the internet) both talking and guessing. And the same certainly can't be said for every film poster of 2020 – we've been pretty disappointed with the print campaign for the upcoming No Time to Die. Thankfully, these brilliant recent fan-made Bond posters are much better than the real things. 

Read more: 

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Daniel John
Senior News Editor

Daniel John is Senior News Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.