The supernatural love story Remain, co-created by acclaimed novelist Nicholas Sparks and filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, is set to make waves as both a novel and a film. The novel is slated for publication this week, while the movie, featuring actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor, is currently in post-production and scheduled for release in October 2026, reports BritPanorama.
Sparks and Shyamalan, who had never collaborated before, began discussions in 2022 when Sparks’s team proposed the dual project. Initially skeptical about the venture, Sparks remarked, “Oh, that might be fun,” yet paid little mind to it. However, the following year they agreed to meet to develop dual premises for the narrative. Sparks explained, “We decided in that first meeting to do Night’s idea, and together we hammered out the [plot] of what would become Remain.
The film follows Tate Donovan, a New York architect on a journey to Cape Cod for a friend’s summer house project. After a psychological breakdown related to his sister’s death, Tate finds solace at a B&B, where he encounters Wren, a young woman with whom he feels an immediate connection—only to discover she is a ghost.
While the film and novel share the same storyline, they are crafted differently to suit respective mediums. Sparks noted, “For instance, I can hop into characters’ heads and tell you exactly what they’re thinking. Meanwhile, Night is doing a haiku version of a love story, because in a film you have much less of a runway.” Sparks’ distinctive touch is evident throughout the book, marked by his characteristic style of romantic storytelling.
Despite the contrasting genres they work in, Sparks and Shyamalan found common ground in their storytelling approach. Sparks commented, “We both concentrate on character and emotional movement throughout a story. And we’re both fond of unexpected twists.” The collaboration has proven fruitful, with regular brainstorming sessions aiding the screenplay’s development.
Sparks’ experience in transforming novels into films spans decades, beginning with Message in a Bottle in 1999. As he reflects on his journey, he acknowledges the realities of adapting literature to film: “a novel is 100,000 words and a screenplay is 20,000 so, as a writer, you have to accept that some things are going to go.”
Now, over 30 years into his career, Sparks continues to find inspiration in everyday life, often drawing upon personal experiences or themes to create compelling narratives. Remain (Sphere, £22) is published on 14 October.
