Honestly, if you had told me a few years ago that the guy who wrote The Notebook and the guy who gave us The Sixth Sense were grabbing coffee to plot a movie, I would’ve assumed it was the setup for a weird Hollywood joke. But here we are. Nicholas Sparks new film, titled Remain, is officially happening, and it is a total curveball for anyone used to the standard "girl-meets-boy-in-a-small-coastal-town" formula.
It’s a collaboration with M. Night Shyamalan. Yes, you read that right.
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The two icons basically decided to mash their brains together to create a "supernatural romantic thriller." It’s not just a movie, though. They developed the story in tandem, with Sparks releasing the novel version in late 2025 and Shyamalan taking the reins for the theatrical release. If you’re a die-hard Sparks fan, you’ve probably noticed his movies have been a bit quiet lately. The last big one was The Choice back in 2016. A decade-long drought is a long time for a guy who used to dominate the Valentine’s Day box office.
What is Remain actually about?
Basically, we’re looking at a story centered on Tate Donovan, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Tate is an architect from New York who’s dealing with some pretty heavy stuff—specifically, acute depression following the death of his sister. He heads to Cape Cod to design a summer home for a friend, hoping the salt air will fix whatever is broken inside.
While he’s there, he meets Wren, played by Phoebe Dynevor (who you definitely know from Bridgerton).
The "Sparks" part is the immediate, soul-deep connection they form at a historic bed-and-breakfast. The "Shyamalan" part? That comes in the form of a deathbed revelation from Tate’s sister. She claimed their family has a gift for seeing spirits tethered to the living world. Tate is a man of logic, so he hates this idea. But as he gets closer to Wren, he realizes her idyllic life is actually surrounded by some pretty dark, festering secrets—and maybe a few things that shouldn't be there at all.
The Cast and the Vibe
The casting here is actually kind of brilliant. Gyllenhaal does "tortured and intense" better than almost anyone in the business. Putting him in a Nicholas Sparks world adds a layer of grit that we haven't really seen since maybe The Lucky One.
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- Jake Gyllenhaal as Tate Donovan
- Phoebe Dynevor as Wren
- Ashley Walters (from Top Boy) in a key supporting role
- Julie Hagerty and Maria Dizzia
The film was shot mostly in Rhode Island, standing in for Cape Cod. If you've ever been to the New England coast in the off-season, you know it’s the perfect place for a ghost story that’s also a love story. It’s moody. It’s gray. It’s lonely.
Why this movie is breaking the Sparks "Rules"
Usually, a Nicholas Sparks story follows a very specific rhythm. There is a misunderstanding, a beautiful rainstorm, a letter that didn't get delivered, and someone usually dies (sorry, spoilers for the last 20 years of cinema).
Remain feels different because it’s a co-creation. Sparks himself admitted in interviews that the structure of the story had to change between the book and the film. He handled the "backstory and heart," while Shyamalan focused on the "movement and tension." It's a weird hybrid. It’s like a romance movie with a pulse-pounding heart rate.
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There’s also the release date drama. Originally, everyone was looking at October 23, 2026. However, some industry trackers and Wikipedia updates have suggested a potential shift into 2027 for the final theatrical window, though October 2026 remains the most cited date for the "spooky season" launch.
Other Sparks projects on the horizon
While Remain is the big one everyone is talking about, it isn't the only thing on the author's plate.
- Counting Miracles: Amazon MGM Studios is adapting this one, and they’ve tapped Alan Ritchson (Reacher) to star. It’s a bit more of a traditional Sparks vibe than Remain.
- A Walk to Remember Reboot: This one is still in the "talks" phase, but original producers are supposedly looking to modernize the 2002 classic.
- The Three-Picture Deal: Sparks signed a deal with Universal a few years back to adapt The Wish and other titles, though those have been moving through development slowly.
What you should do next
If you're planning to see Nicholas Sparks new film, the best way to prep is to actually read the book first. Because Sparks and Shyamalan wrote them separately based on the same idea, they aren't carbon copies. Sparks has said the novel contains details and character internalities that simply couldn't fit into a two-hour thriller.
Grab a copy of Remain (the novel) now to get the "Sparks version" of the ending. By the time the movie hits theaters in late 2026, you'll be able to spot exactly where Shyamalan added his signature twists and where Sparks kept the romance alive. Also, keep an eye on Warner Bros. social channels around October for the first teaser trailer; they’ve been notoriously tight-lipped about the "supernatural" visuals so far.