M. Night Shyamalan's Magic 8 Ball Show Proves Apple TV’s Comedy Hit Right

5 days ago 9
Dave Franco in Apple TV’s The Studio

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M. Night Shyamalan is working on a TV adaptation of a toy franchise. The director's involvement with any movie or TV project evokes excitement, so the upcoming horror show is no different. However, a closer look at the new show reveals how it proves Apple TV's comedy hit from 2025 got a lot of things right about a growing Hollywood trend.

Considering M. Night Shyamalan's filmmaking history in the horror genre, it is hard not to be hyped about his new show. At the same time, even the Apple TV comedy show in question seems a lot more exciting because of how much it gets right about how Hollywood has been approaching adaptations lately.

M. Night Shyamalan Is Creating A Magic 8 Ball Show

Magic H8 Ball poster

Earlier in 2025, M. Night Shyamalan made a massive announcement that confirmed his return to television. For the record, the Sixth Sense director has previously worked on only one show, The Servant. This time around, Shyamalan revealed he was working on a Magic 8 Ball horror show that, as the title suggests, would focus on the Mattel toy franchise.

Check out Shyamalan's post below:

M. Night Shyamalan will direct, co-create, and co-show run the series while two-time Emmy winner Brad Falchuk (of the Glee and American Horror Story fame) serves as its writer. Considering how two creative powerhouses are behind the series, it is hard not to be excited about it.

However, after watching Apple TV's The Studio, one might notice how the Magic 8 Ball show serves as the perfect example of the Hollywood trend the Emmy-winning comedy show satirizes.

The Magic 8 Ball Show Proves The Studio Is Right About Hollywood’s Obsession With Toy Franchises

Seth Rogen The Studio Photo: Apple TV via MovieStillsDB.

In The Studio's opening moments itself, Seth Rogen's character expresses his frustration towards Hollywood's obsession with picking popular toy franchises and turning them into art house movies that have nothing to do with the toys in question. He even reveals that the rights for Rubik's Cube and Zenga have already been acquired, which is hilariously similar to what is being done to the Magic 8 Ball in the real world.

The Studio takes an even funnier turn when Rogen's character learns about a Kool-Aid Man movie and is forced to greenlight the project as a condition of becoming studio head. With what follows, he struggles to juggle his artistic integrity with corporate demands.

M. Night Shyamalan's involvement with any project makes it ten times more exciting even though his movies have always been hit or miss. A Magic 8 Ball horror show with him at its helm seems no less enthralling. However, after Apple TV's The Studio, it is hilariously clear that "life imitates art far more than art imitates life."

  • Magic 8 Ball placeholder poster
  • 03219686_poster_w780-1.jpg
    The Studio
    ScreenRant logo

    9/10

    Release Date March 25, 2025

    Network Apple TV+

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