As much as I love Philadelphia, I know it’s not always a hub of desi activity. But we do have one thing. Or should I say, one man. We have M. Night Shyamalan. All right, fine. Maybe given his recent string of flops, that’s not much to be proud of, but we take what we can. One of the reasons why Shyamalan remains beloved by Philadelphians is because he continues to base his productions in and around the City of Brotherly Love. The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Lady in the Water and his upcoming film, The Last Airbender, were all filmed in and around Philadelphia.
With the combination of Shyamalan and the recent spate of Bollywood films that were shot in Philadelphia, Philadelphia desis didn’t have to go far to see some of their favorite South Asian stars. (Which reminds me, Dev Patel, please come back to Philadelphia.I promise I’ll stop stalking you.) But today, it was announced that Shyamalan is leaving Philadelphia for the budget-friendly shores of Canada to film his latest production, Devil.
With uncertainty about whether Pennsylvania’s film tax credit will be authorized in the state budget - now in Day 56 of limbo - the supernatural thriller (which Shyamalan wrote and is producing) has relocated production to Toronto. Though the filmmaker has shot eight of his nine features in the Philadelphia region - for an estimated economic impact of $375 million, according to the local film office - his backers couldn’t wait any longer for legislators to approve the incentive that brings filmmaking and jobs to the state.
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Great, so now no more Shyamalan. Oh well, at least we have the Phillies.
