M. Night Shyamalan Developing a Live-Action Magic 8 Ball Series
M. Night Shyamalan is going to be shaking things up as he is bringing the mysterious Magic 8 Ball to life in a live-action TV series. The filmmaker is joining forces with Brad Falchuk, the creative mind behind Glee, American Horror Story, and the 911 franchise, to turn Mattel’s iconic fortune-telling toy into a psychological thrill ride.
Shyamalan revealed the project himself on Instagram, posting a photo of the pilot script titled Magic 8 Ball Season 1 “Pilot” along with the caption: “Been working on this for a couple years… Who’s in?” He sealed the tease with the hashtag #ItIsCertain, a direct nod to one of the toy’s classic responses.
While details about the story and cast remain under wraps, Shyamalan and Falchuk will serve as co-creators on the series, which is being produced by Mattel Studios.
It’s not yet clear where the show will stream or air, but given the creative firepower behind it, Magic 8 Ball already feels like a project to keep a close eye on.
The Magic 8 Ball has been around since 1946, delighting and unnerving generations of users with its cryptic yes-or-no answers. Shake it, ask a question, and watch as the toy’s floating window delivers anything from “Without a doubt” to “Ask again later” to the ominous “My sources say no.”
Mattel’s latest push into TV and film follows the massive success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, which shattered box office expectations with over $1.4 billion worldwide. The company has since doubled down on adapting its most famous toys into big-screen and streaming projects.
On the film side, Mattel has plenty more in development, including Masters of the Universe starring Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Mendes, a Hot Wheels movie, a Barney film written by Ayo Edebiri and produced by Daniel Kaluuya, a Polly Pocket movie with Lena Dunham and Lily Collins, and even a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots project starring Vin Diesel.
It will be interesting to see how Shyamalan and Falchuk they take a simple question toy and transform it into something far darker and more mysterious. If anyone can turn a childhood novelty into a chilling story about fate and uncertainty, it’s this duo.
The only question left to ask is: Will this series be as hauntingly good as it sounds? Shake the Magic 8 Ball and see if the answer is “It is certain.”