Lady in the Water
“Time is running out for a happy ending.”
Synopsis
Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
M. Night Shyamalan on Lady in the WaterOfficial
Type: Featurette • Published 2025-09-08
Top Cast
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Paul Giamatti
Cleveland Heep
Bryce Dallas Howard
Story
Jeffrey Wright
Mr. Dury
Bob Balaban
Harry Farber
Sarita Choudhury
Anna Ran
Cindy Cheung
Young-Soon Choi
M. Night Shyamalan
Vick Ran
Freddy Rodríguez
Reggie
Bill Irwin
Mr. Leeds
Mary Beth Hurt
Mrs. Bell
Noah Gray-Cabey
Joey Dury
Joseph D. Reitman
Long Haired Smoker
Jared Harris
Goatee Smoker
Grant Monohon
Emaciated Smoker
John Boyd
One-Eyebrow Smoker
Ethan Cohn
Glasses Smoker
June Kyoto Lu
Mrs. Choi
Tovah Feldshuh
Mrs. Bubchik
Release History & Theatrical Window
London
Festival / Special Debut
July 21, 2006
Wide Cinema Exhibition
December 19, 2006
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$70M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$72.8M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
1.04x
+$2.8M net gain
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Screenplay & Story
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Original Score
- James Newton Howard
- Original Title
- Lady in the Water
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- Mandarin, English, Spanish
- Runtime
- 1h 50m
- Production Budget
- $70M
- Worldwide Gross
- $72.8M
- Production Studios
- Legendary Pictures, Blinding Edge Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
M. Night Shyamalan
M. Night Shyamalan
James Newton Howard
Christopher Doyle, Pete Romano
Barbara Tulliver
Sam Mercer, M. Night Shyamalan
Department Leadership Roster
M. Night Shyamalan
Director
James Newton Howard
Original Music Composer
Sam Mercer
Producer
M. Night Shyamalan
Producer
Barbara Tulliver
Editor
M. Night Shyamalan
Screenplay
Christopher Doyle
Director of Photography
Betsy Heimann
Costume Design
Martin Childs
Production Design
Edward Hirsh
Visual Effects Supervisor
Jeff Habberstad
Stunt Coordinator
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned — May contain intense action, language, or mature themes.
International Certification Matrix
Parental Guidance Suggested.
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.
Parents Strongly Cautioned — May contain intense action, language, or mature themes.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Lady in the Water.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Lady in the Water.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Lady in the Water
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Lady in the Water about?
Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.
Who directed Lady in the Water?
Lady in the Water was directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Who stars in Lady in the Water?
The principal cast of Lady in the Water includes Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban, Sarita Choudhury.
When was Lady in the Water released and how long is it?
Lady in the Water was released in 2006 with a total runtime of 1h 50m.
What was the box office and production budget of Lady in the Water?
Lady in the Water had a reported production budget of $70M and grossed $72.8M at the worldwide box office (1.04 return on budget, classified as a budget recovered).
Who composed the musical score for Lady in the Water?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Lady in the Water was composed by James Newton Howard.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Lady in the Water?
Lady in the Water holds official age classifications: CA: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested.); DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.); FR: TP; GB: PG (Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.); US: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned — May contain intense action, language, or mature themes.).