Josh Hartnett Is Director M. Night Shyamalan's Latest Twist in Thrilling “Trap” Trailer

'Trap' is in theaters Aug. 9

M. Night Shyamalan has Josh Hartnett as his latest shocking twist.

Shyamalan, 53, is the writer-director of Trap, the story of a father (Hartnett) attending a pop concert that ends up being far more than it appears.

As Warner Bros.' newly released trailer reveals, Hartnett, 45, is an ordinary dad treating his daughter to floor seats at a massive concert from Lady Raven — a pop starlet played by Saleka Shyamalan (daughter of the Sixth Sense director).

Related: The Watchers Trailer: Dakota Fanning Stars in M. Night Shyamalan's Daughter Ishana's Creepy Debut

As Hartnett’s character learns after leaving his daughter to inquire about all the surveillance and police he’s seeing, the entire concert is an orchestrated effort from federal police to catch a wanted killer. 

“You know the Butcher?” a concert vendor confides in Hartnett’s character. “That freaking nut job that goes around just chopping people up? The Feds or whatever heard that he's going to be here today. So they set up a trap for him.”

The “whole concert,” he continues, is “a trap. There's no way to get out of here.”

While Hartnett’s reaction is hard to read, the trailer then reveals a dark secret: He may be the Butcher in question, monitoring a crying man on his phone who appears to be in his captivity.

“Kinda dope, right?” chuckles the vendor. Hartnett laughs along — until his face darkens menacingly.

Making an audience identify with a main character before "taking advantage of that" was "fun," said Shyamalan at a Trap preview event in Los Angeles on April 16.

Of casting his mysterious central role, the Split filmmaker said he’s always “looking for someone that's willing to just let go completely, give themselves … to the movie and leap, leap, leap. Don't protect yourself. That's my job. And we both just empathize and find that beautiful electricity. That requires the right actor at the right time in their life. And that's where Josh was when I met him.”

Hartnett is “very smart and he's very analytical,” added Shyamalan. “You can tell he's curated his life in a way that's rich and has a lot to say.”

Shyamalan also revealed that in addition to playing Lady Raven, daughter Saleka ended up writing songs and even scoring Trap as the film came together. “We're huge fans of Purple Rain,” he said, adding that the Prince album-and-movie helped inspire this project.

The cast also includes Hayley Mills, Ariel Donoghue and Allison Pill.

Trap is in theaters Aug. 9.

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