Shyamalan Almost Wrote 'The Notebook'—Now He’s Writing a Novel With Nicholas Sparks

Think of Nicholas Sparks, and you probably have a good idea what you're going to get—romance, melodrama, lovers separated by contrivance and heartbreak.

Now think of what you get from M. Night Shyamalan, and it would be much different. Jumpscares, wild premises, and twists galore. They overlap maybe in melodrama and contrivance, but it's still a very different style of movie.

So, you might be surprised to learn a couple of things about these two. They've cowritten a new novel, out today, called Remain: A Supernatural Love Story.

According to Amazon, this is the plot:

When New York architect Tate Donovan arrives in Cape Cod to design his best friend’s summer home, he is hoping to make a fresh start. Recently discharged from an upscale psychiatric facility where he was treated for acute depression, he is still wrestling with the pain of losing his beloved sister. Sylvia’s deathbed revelation—that she can see spirits who are still tethered to the living world, a gift that runs in their family—sits uneasily with Tate, who struggles to believe in more than what reason can explain. But when he takes up residence at a historic bed-and-breakfast on the Cape, he encounters a beautiful young woman named Wren who will challenge every assumption he has about his logical and controlled world.

Shyamalan has already started work on the film adaptation of the book, too. Jake Gyllenhaal will star with Phoebe Dynevor for a planned October 2026 release. The film wrapped this summer.

But guess what... Shyamalan and Sparks have almost worked together before. In fact — plot twist — the horror auteur almost wrote a Sparks story.

Shyamalan Almost Wrote The Notebook

In an interview with Variety, Sparks revealed that this collaboration has been a long time coming because Shyamalan was almost involved in one of his early projects.

"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," Sparks told Variety. "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 Sixth Sense made $672 million globally and was nominated for six Oscars (including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay). The Notebook made $118 million worldwide.

"The original writer was Jan Sardi, and they decided to go with a new writer after that, who ended up being Jeremy Leven, but they had asked Night Shyamalan to do that," Sparks said. "So we had been aware of each other's career for a long time."

It just goes to show that you can find collaborators anywhere, and it can result in some unique work. Will you be checking out Remain?