M. Night Shyamalan brings a warning of the apocalypse in first trailer for 'Knock at the Cabin'

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The world may or may not be coming to an end in the first tense trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's latest genre outing: Knock at the Cabin. Based on Paul Tremblay's 2018 novel, The Cabin at the End of the World — which Stephen King himself called "thought-provoking and terrifying" — the film centers around a young girl (Kristen Cui) vacationing at a remote cabin in the middle of the woods with her parents (played by Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge).

The family's relaxing getaway is suddenly thrown into chaos when a group of armed strangers (led by Dave Bautista's unnerving Leonard) force their way into the house, not only claiming that the apocalypse is nigh, but also arguing that the innocent family must make an unthinkable choice to stop it.

Can this be true or are these simply the ravings of religious extremists who have totally detached themselves from reality? We won't have a firm answer on that until the movie opens in early 2023, but one thing's for sure: nothing is ever as it seems in an M. Night Shyamalan joint. Rupert Grint (Harry Potter), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Old), and Abby Quinn (Mad About You) round out the cast as Leonard's mysterious cohorts.

Watch the trailer now:

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, Shyamalan explained that he wanted to cast Bautista after seeing his performance in Blade Runner 2049.

"He was still in a way that was powerful,” he said. "There’s a type of stillness where you’re not doing nothing; you’re doing everything and you’re still. Every cell in your body will do what it’s supposed to do if you’re thinking something correctly. And Dave was embodying all of this philosophy in that scene … I didn’t know who he was at that time, and he stuck in my head. So when this script came, I was like, ‘There seems to be one guy who can play this giant human being and do the stillness.’ So I asked Dave.”

The filmmaker shares screenplay credit with Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman. This marks the director's third adaptation after The Last Airbender and Old. Shyamalan produced the feature alongside Marc Bienstock (Split, Glass) and Ashwin Rajan (Servant, Glass). Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity), Christos V. Konstantakopoulos (Midnight Special), and Ashley Fox (Promising Young Woman) are executive producers.

Principal photography began this past AprilKnock at the Cabin arrives on the big screen Feb. 3, 2023.

Knock at the Cabin poster UNIVERSAL POSTER
Knock at the Cabin poster UNIVERSAL POSTER

Courtesy of Universal Pictures