Trying to imagine M. Night Shyamalan writing The Notebook feels impossible, but it turns out it almost happened.
One of the most iconic and at times divisive names in film, having directed acclaimed titles like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable alongside notable flops like The Happening and The Last Airbender, Shyamalan is teaming up with bestselling author Nicholas Sparks for his next film, Remain. Sparks is best known for writing tragic romances such as A Walk to Remember, Dear John, and, of course, The Notebook, all of which were adapted into feature films.
Sparks revealed to Variety that Remain isn’t the first time his path has crossed with Shyamalan’s. In fact, when The Notebook was in development in the mid-1990s, Shyamalan was reportedly offered a chance to pen the script, but he was busy on another script, one that would eventually become his biggest hit to date: The Sixth Sense. Sparks jokingly referenced the incident and how long he and Shyamalan have known each other, saying:
“A long time ago, way back when ‘The Notebook’ was being adapted for the screen, they approached a writer to write the script — it was M. Night Shyamalan. He was busy writing this movie, ‘The Sixth Sense.’ I don’t know if you’ve heard of that movie. I wonder how that eventually did? The original writer [for ‘The Notebook’] was Jan Sardi, and they decided to go with a new writer after that, that ended up being Jeremy Leven, but they had asked Night Shyamalan to do that. So we had been aware of each other’s career for a long time.”
‘The Notebook’ Had Some Big Names Attached Through the Years
When The Notebook was in development, Shyamalan wasn’t a household name; in fact, he’d only directed one feature film, 1998’s Wide Awake. In 1999, the same year The Sixth Sense came out and became a blockbuster sensation, two titles Shyamalan worked on were released. He did an uncredited rewrite on She’s All That, the breakout teen comedy that opened in March 1999. He’s also credited as a co-writer on Stuart Little,one of the hit movies of that year’s holiday season. While Stuart Little, She’s All That, and The Sixth Sense are worlds apart in terms of tone and style, they helped turn Shyamalan into Hollywood’s next breakout filmmaker.
The Notebook was first published in 1996 and was quickly optioned into a feature film. Jeremy Leven’s original draft caught the eye of Steven Spielberg, who was set to direct; when he dropped out, he was replaced by In the Name of the Father‘s Jim Sheridan, with filming set to begin in 1999 before being delayed due to rewrites. Casino Royale‘s Martin Campbell replaced Sheridan in 2001 before also dropping out, and the film was finally directed by Nick Cassevetes. The Notebook opened in theaters on Jun. 25, 2004, one month before Shyamalan’s The Village.
Now, nearly 30 years after their first opportunity to work together, Sparks and Shyamalan are collaborating on Remain, based on a story conceived by both men. Shyamalan wrote the screenplay and will direct, while Sparks adapted the script into a novel. Described as a romantic-supernatural thriller, Remain stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Phoebe Dynevor, Ashley Walters, and Julie Hagerty, and will be released by Warner Bros. in theaters on Oct. 23, 2026.
- Release Date
-
June 25, 2004
- Runtime
-
124 Minutes