While it may seem kind of random to some that M. Night Shyamalan would team up with beloved romance author Nicholas Sparks for a movie, their collaboration for Remain, a book-to-screen adaptation makes a lot of sense to me.
M. Night Shyamalan made a name for himself with horror movies and thrillers, but the filmmaker has explored other emotions beyond fear and suspense in his movies, and that very much includes love. Though romance has played a role in some of his best films, none of those movies would be described as romances first and foremost, so I'm looking forward to what these two have in store. Let's get into what we know about both the book, which came out in 2025, and the movie, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor, and is set to release in 2027.
Remain Movie Release Date
The book came out in the later part of 2025, and the movie adaptation is set to come out on February 5, 2027. The film was originally lined up to be among new horror movies in theaters on the 2026 movie schedule, but M. Night Shyamalan recently confirmed the new 2027 date on his Instagram. It's a bummer that we'll have to wait a bit longer for the movie, but given that there's a romantic element to the story, February seems like a great date for it.
Written by Nicholas Sparks, with M. Night Shyamalan, Remain: A Supernatural Love Story hit shelves in October 2025. The book, which you can pick up at Barnes & Noble and Amazon, overlaps genres, as it features a paranormal element, but is also part romance, part mystery-thriller.
What Is Remain About?
On to the plot of Remain. As mentioned, it's a supernatural love story. The romance aspect is no surprise if you're familiar with Nicholas Sparks' writing. His novels, many of which have been adapted for the screen, include The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Safe Haven, Dear John and The Choice. Of course, with Shyamalan involved, it practically goes without saying that there's more going on with the story, as the Sixth Sense director is undoubtedly known for incorporating sci-fi and supernatural elements into his stories.
The story follows Tate Donovan, an architect grieving the loss of his sister, who -- before she died -- revealed to him that she was able to see spirits. Tate ends up going to Cape Cod to design a summer home for his friend, and he meets a young woman named Wren, with whom he forms a connection. That's where the love story comes in, though there's some urgency to the situation, as Tate begins to get to know Wren and finds himself trying to figure out the truth about her.
So... yeah, there are bigger things going on here beyond a dramatic love story, which makes total sense when we factor in Shyamalan's involvement.
I debated whether or not I would read the book before seeing the movie, knowing that it would mean going into the film with a head full of spoilers. I did end up reading the book (don't worry, no spoilers here!), and while I now know how it all plays out, I'm still excited to see how Shyamalan brings it to the screen. Also, as Deadline puts it in their casting report (more on that in a bit), both the movie and book are based on the same concept, and will have the same characters, "but tailored to their respective mediums." So I'm curious to see what kind of tailoring happens from book to screen with this story.
The Remain Cast
In January of this year, Deadline reported that Jake Gyllenhaal would be starring in M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks' new movie, though no title was mentioned at that time. In March, Deadline reported that Phoebe Dynevor had joined the cast. Finally, in July, Deadline reported additional cast members, including Julie Hagerty and Tracy Ifeachor. Here's the cast list as we know so far:
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Phoebe Dynevor
- Ashley Walters
- Julie Hagerty
- Jay O. Sanders
- Tracy Ifeachor
- Hannah James
- Caleb Ruminer
- Kieran Mulcare
- Maria Dizzia
An M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks Collaboration
As mentioned, the book and film are both collaborations between filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and author Nicholas Sparks. When Sparks posted about the projects on Instagram in July 2025, he talked about how he'd hoped to work with M. Night Shyamalan someday, and noted that it turned out, Shyamalan had been wanting to make a love story for a while:
Once we came up with a joint idea, I hunkered down to write the novel and Night turned to making the movie. We can’t wait to share both versions of this haunting love story with you soon!
Production on Remain
On July 18, 2025, M. Night Shyamalan announced the start of production on the film with the Instagram post above, showing him standing behind a clapboard for the movie, with a seaside view behind him. And one month later to the day, on August 19, star Jake Gyllenhaal posted on his own Instagram that production for the film had wrapped. In his post, he thanked the cast and crew for what he described as "one of the most joyful and inspiring experiences."
So the movie is in the can, and now it's presumably just a matter of post-production. Though we were originally going to see it in October of this year, it's looking like there's a bit of a delay. But it does have a new date, and it's not so far away. Of course, those who don't want to wait until February 2027 have plenty of time to read the book!
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