Shyamalan Moves from Cornfield to Woods
By Beth Hannan Rimmels
After staging eerie scenes in cornfields for last year's Signs, M. Night Shyamalan has chosen The Woods to be the first film in his two-picture deal with Walt Disney. Co. Set in 1897, Woods will star Ashton Kutcher, Kirsten Dunst and Joaquin Phoenix (who costarred in Signs) as members of a close-knit community that his haunted by a race of mythical creatures that live in the forest surrounding them. Shyamalan is planning an October production start for a summer 2004 release date. Shyamalan has written the script and will direct and produce the film, with Scott Rudin and Sam Mercer co-producing.