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Trap stars Josh Hartnett as Cooper, who we quickly learn is a serial killer who has law enforcement on his trail. What starts out as a fun night out with his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) as they attend a Lady Raven concert turns into a game of cat and mouse, as the police have used the concert as an elaborate trap to finally catch Cooper. Cooper then tries to figure out a way to get out of the arena, and the close calls proceed from there.
Part of what makes Trap intriguing from the get-go is that Cooper’s role as the serial killer is revealed early on and not saved for any late film twist. In a previous interview with ComicBook, Shyamalan spoke about making the bad guy the central character and how it changes up the dynamic of the film.
“The actual interesting and wicked part of the movie is you are him,” Shyamalan said. “That was the thing that made me want to do it. We’ve seen a million stories about serial killers, but to say you are him and this is what life is like for you on the day that you might get caught [is new].”
“The villain is the protagonist. He’s both the antagonist and the protagonist,” Shyamalan said. “It’s very interesting. The good guys at points are the antagonist and you’re like, ‘How did I get here on this side of this argument?’ I was rooting for him. We know this is not the good guy, but we kind of want to see him continue to evade all this. It was really cool.”
As for what’s next, Shyamalan is already working on his next idea, or should we say batch of ideas. On Instagram Shyamalan shared a picture of a notebook, which has become a tradition for him when he takes on a new project. It will house all of his brainstorming for the mysterious new project, which will be movie number 17 for the popular director.
On Instagram Shyamalan wrote, “As a ritual for each film, I pick a notebook that speaks to me and I write notes, ideas for the new film in that,” Shyamalan wrote. “When it’s overflowing with ideas, I go outline then script. This is the notebook for movie 17! This bright red felt just right! As [Trap] passes 80 million in theaters, I am so grateful and begin the new one inspired by all the support you have given me over the years.”
Trap is now streaming on Max.
