M. Night Shyamalan is preparing a series inspired by the Magic 8-Ball toy
After Barbie and while waiting for Hot Wheels, Mattel continues to transpose its toys onto the screens.
Return to the small screen for M. Night Shyamalan.
Two years after the end of his disturbing horror series, Servant, the director of Sixth Sense tackles… the magic ball. The filmmaker will direct a live-action series inspired by the famous Magic 8-Ball toy, produced by Mattel Studios.
The project is co-written with Brad Falchuk, creator of Glee, American Horror Story and 9-1-1. The two men share the title of co-creators on this still mysterious series, the existence of which Shyamalan revealed on Instagram by posting a photo of the script: “Magic 8 Ball – Season 1, Pilot Episode.” In the caption, he writes: “I’ve been working on this for a few years… Who is it?”, before adding “It is certain” – a nod to one of the divinatory toy’s best-known answers.
Invented in 1946, the Magic 8-Ball is a black ball capable of “predicting the future”: simply shake it to obtain a random answer to a question asked, ranging from “Without a doubt” to “Ask later” or “My sources say no”.
No broadcast platform nor any actor have yet been announced for this television adaptation, which we can easily guess will make the predictions of the famous ball come true…
The project is led by the owner of the toy, namely Mattel. Since the worldwide triumph of Barbie ($1.4 billion at the box office), the giant has multiplied cinema and television projects inspired by its flagship licenses – from Polly Pocket to Hot Wheels via Masters of the Universe.
Note that Shyamalan has just finished filming his next film, two years after Trap. It will be Remain, developed in conjunction with the writer Nicholas Spark and which will be released in a year in cinemas (October 21, 2026 in France).
