Netflix Just Added A New Psychological Thriller Starring 90s Heartthrob Josh Hartnett
Fans will be happy to know that Hartnett is shirtless for much of the third act.
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest psychological thriller starring Josh Hartnett just hit Netflix!
Trap (2024) stars Hartnett as Cooper, a seemingly mild-mannered father who is escorting his teen daughter to a major pop star’s concert. However, Cooper is actually “the Butcher”, a serial killer being tracked by the FBI. The concert is actually a trap as the FBI has been tipped off that the Butcher will be there, and any man meeting the profile will be interviewed before he is allowed to leave. As Cooper/the Butcher has a unique identifying tattoo, he is desperate to get out of the arena undetected.
The pop star, Lady Raven, is played by M. Night’s daughter, Saleka Night Shyamalan. M. Night originally conceived of Trap as a way to give Saleka a concert movie and showcase her talent. He was inspired by the album Prince wrote for Purple Rain (1984) as well as Operation Flagship, a sting by U.S. Marshals Service in which fugitives were lured to a fake Washington Redskins game and arrested.
Fans who have loved Hartnett since he debuted in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) will be happy to know that the film is somewhat campy and Josh is shirtless for much of the third act. That’s called fan service!!
Shyamalan has already talked about making a Trap 2, telling The Playlist that *every* audience member at the test screening expressed interest in a sequel. He also said that he felt sad when he returned to his office after finishing the film and could no longer work with the Trap music and characters he had grown to love.
I used to run to the editing room. I loved this movie and I wanted to be with this music and these characters and Cooper and Riley and Lady Raven, all of them. And so that was a strange feeling. They become a part of you when you’re making these characters. And, and it was such a joyful experience; we were laughing through it and, playing, and the audience can feel that. So, yeah…
M. Night Shyamalan, when asked about a ‘Trap’ sequel
