Knock at the Cabin: M. Night Shyamalan film confirmed to be an adaptation of Paul Tremblay novel

M. Night Shyamalan is currently in post-production on his latest thriller Knock at the Cabin, which is heading toward a February 3, 2023 theatrical release date. Several months ago, we heard (via our friends at Bloody Disgusting) that Knock at the Cabin is “a home invasion horror film that takes place during the apocalypse” and may be based on the Paul Tremblay novel The Cabin at the End of the World, like Shyamalan’s previous film Old was an adaptation of the graphic novel Sandcastle. Now it has been confirmed by Tremblay: Knock at the Cabin is based on The Cabin at the End of the World!

Speaking with CNBC, Tremblay revealed FilmNation optioned The Cabin at the End of the World back in 2017 and went searching for a director and other talent to bring the story to the screen. Another director was attached to the project at one point, another script had been written, but when the other filmmaker dropped out Shyamalan came on board and rewrote the script. Tremblay said,

I have no contractual say over the screenplay or filming, but at the start FilmNation was great about keeping me in the loop with the early draft of a screenplay and asking my input. Much later, when we were introduced via phone, Night and I discussed the book and I answered a bunch of his questions about character and story, about why I did what I did. I can’t speak to his screenwriting process. I did get to visit the set and watch him and crew work for two days. I came away impressed with the positive creative atmosphere he engendered. … The actors were fully committed, engaged and emotionally connected to the story, and embodied the spirit of the characters from what I could see. Between shots, they asked me thoughtful questions about the book, and they were beyond generous with their time and attention. Getting to chat with them was one of my favorite parts of the set visit.”

Tremblay went on to say that, “Like the majority of adaptations, there will be story changes and differences compared to the book so my readers will still be surprised by the film.”

Copies of Tremblay’s novel can be purchased at THIS LINK. Here’s the description:

Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake. Their closest neighbors are more than two miles in either direction along a rutted dirt road.

One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost instantly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologizes and tells Wen, “None of what’s going to happen is your fault”. Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: “Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world.”

Thus begins an unbearably tense, gripping tale of paranoia, sacrifice, apocalypse, and survival that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of a loving family and quite possibly all of humanity are entwined. The Cabin at the End of the World is a masterpiece of terror and suspense from the fantastically fertile imagination of Paul Tremblay.

Shyamalan’s adaptation Knock at the Cabin stars Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Rupert Grint (Servant), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Old), Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth), and Jonathan Groff (The Matrix Resurrections).

Are you looking forward to Knock at the Cabin? Have you read The Cabin at the End of the World? Let us know by leaving a comment below.