Kathryn Hahn Leaves Comedy Behind For M. Night Shyamalan’s Latest


Kathryn Hahn has been known as a comedy actress for years now, but she’s ready to test new ground in an upcoming psychological thriller. M. Night Shyamalan’s Sundowning is her next project, making many a moviegoer ask why.

Perhaps Sundowning will be one of Shyamalan’s first films where he doesn’t force a twist? Is that too much to ask?

Comedienne Kathryn Hahn comes from a long line of comedies including We’re the Millers, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and one of Will Ferrell and John C Reilly’s team-up comedies Step Brothers. She’s even had cameo voice acting roles in TV series such as Bob’s Burgers and American Dad. It seems strange that Hahn would make her debut outside comedy in a film from the Indian director in love with “the twist,” a fact which the Adult Swim TV series Robot Chicken has poked fun at numerous times.

In Sundowning, Hahn plays the single mother of two children who visit their grandparents, a concept which seems innocent enough. Her son, played by Ed Oxenbould, is protective of his little sister and could play a major role. When they arrive where their grandparents are staying, apparently things go “very wrong.”

M. Night Shyamalan isn’t releasing any further details, but there is an assumption already that the film deals with the darker side of Alzheimer’s. One kind of dementia associated with Alzheimer’s is that of a kind of violent outburst triggered when evening falls. This could be where the title Sundowning comes from, and could turn the film into something inspired by Stephen King.

The idea behind the film seems pretty straightforward, and could be interesting if it’s done right. Sadly, Shyamalan has shown a determination to keep trying for the infamous twist, and could ruin the entire film. The only film he’s been involved with that didn’t follow his classic formula was The Last Airbender, and we know how that turned out.

The Last Airbender depended too much on the audience having seen the cartoon. Otherwise it made next to no sense.

Could Kathryn Hahn’s move to a more dramatic role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Sundowning be the start of a new era, bringing her to more serious roles alongside bigger celebrities? Or could it be the film that gets her noticed for the wrong reasons and ends her successful acting career?

[image via Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]

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