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.

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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. 

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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. 

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Daniel Piper
Senior News Editor

Daniel Piper is Creative Bloq’s Senior News Editor. As the brand’s Apple authority, he covers all things Mac, iPhone, iPad and the rest. He also reports on the worlds of design, branding and tech. Daniel joined Future in 2020 (an eventful year, to say the least) after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more. Outside of Future, Daniel is a global poetry slam champion and has performed at festivals including Latitude, Bestival and more. He is the author of Arbitrary and Unnecessary: The Selected Works of Daniel Piper (Selected by Daniel Piper).