M. Night Shyamalan name-drops Taylor Swift when talking about Trap.

M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming thriller, Trap, drew inspiration from Taylor Swift and The Silence of the Lambs.

The movie follows a serial killer called “The Butcher” (played by Josh Hartnett). As he attends a concert of pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) with his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), he realizes the concert is a trap to catch him.

In addition to Hartnett, Donoghue, and Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill, Marnie McPhail, and Vanessa Smythe also star in the movie. Shyamalan wrote and directed the movie and produced it with Marc Bienstock and Ashwin Rajan.

Speaking with Empire, Shyamalan revealed his original pitch for Trap: “What if The Silence of the Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?”

Additionally, the movie was inspired by the Operation Flagship from 1985. It was used to lure fugatives to NFL games with free tickets.

“It was hilarious,” Shyamalan said. “The cops were literally cheerleaders and mascots. These guys were dancing as they came in. And they were all caught. It was so twisted and funny.”

The movie is a double whammy. Shyamalan got to direct a pop concert featuring his daughter, a real-life pop star.

“I directed an entire concert!” he told Empire. “And it wasn't just a thing in the background. It's equally important. There is no pretend concert going on.

“I love the idea of cinema as windows within windows. One of the reasons to come see the movie at the movie theater is because there's literally a real concert that you can see nowhere except in that movie,” he continued.

What is Trap?

Trap is Shyamalan's sixteenth movie and marks his return to Warner Bros. His last five movies beginning with The Visit have been distributed by Universal Pictures. Lady in the Water was Shyamalan's last movie to be distributed by Warner Bros, and that was in 2006.

It is an original idea from Shyamalan. He acknowledged in his Empire interview that there is “safety” in IP filmmaking such as the MCU. But he is fighting for original stories being told.

“I want the industry to move towards more original storytelling,” Shyamalan said. “I think audiences would really like it. Look, I know there's safety in IP. But it's really important that we come to the movies and see something we've never seen before. I'll keep fighting for that.”

Who is M. Night Shyamalan?

M. Night Shyamalan is an award-winning filmmaker who first gained notoriety for directing The Sixth Sense. He followed that up by directing Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village.

In 2010, Shyamalan made his way into IP filmmaking, directing The Last Airbender. It was an adaptation of the animated Avatar series. His other notable credits include After Earth and The Visit.

He revisited Unbreakable with the surprise standalone sequel, Split. It seems like an original movie until the closing moments. Glass concluded the trilogy.

Since then, Shyamalan has directed Old and Knock at the Cabin. He also produced The Watchers, the directorial debut of his other daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan.

Trap will be released on August 2.