When we think about M. Night Shyamalan, it’s not usually romance that comes to mind, but that’s where he’s headed next. A master of plot twists, the one he’s pulled this time is something his fans never saw coming, having recently wrapped production on Remain, a supernatural thriller that he wrote with none other than Nicholas Sparks. Both of them are accomplished names in their respective areas, but their team-up is surely unexpected, given how seemingly distant their preferred genres are, with Shyamalan being a master of modern horror and suspense, and Sparks one of the most successful romance writers this century. They have more in common than audiences would think, though, and their partnership sounds like a match made in heaven — or, in Remain‘s case, whatever comes after death.

‘Remain’ Marks M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks’ First-Ever Collaboration

The premise for Remain feels closer to Sparks than Shyamalan at first, but it was actually the latter’s own original concept. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Sparks revealed that he and Shyamalan have admired each other’s work for a long time, and their partnership began thanks to a suggestion of the writer’s team, with Shyamalan reaching out shortly after. They decided to develop a project together and met a few times to spitball ideas, each coming up with an original concept. Sparks says that the idea of a “supernatural romance” came from Shyamalan, as his own idea “was pretty dark.”

The story follows grieving architect Tate Donovan (Jake Gyllenhaal), who has recently been discharged from a mental institution to treat his severe depression following the loss of his sister. Looking for a fresh start, he travels to Cape Cod to stay at a bed-and-breakfast, where he ends up meeting a mysterious but charming girl named Wren (Phoebe Dynevor). Tate is generally a grounded and skeptical individual, with his sister having always been the one who believed in more than reason could explain. Now, Wren coming into his life will test the limits of his beliefs in some rather “otherworldly” ways.

As part of their collaboration, Remain was also recently released as a novel penned by Sparks and became an instant bestseller. Although they are part of the same project, Sparks promises surprises for those who’ve read the book when the movie comes out. For it to work as a novel, he’d have to “tweak some things,” according to the writer. “I would call him and say, ‘Can I make the ending different?’ or ‘How about this twist instead?’” So, even those who’ve read the book may very well be in for a few surprises when Shyamalan’s movie, which he wrote, directed, and produced, comes out. But we’d expect nothing less from the master of the plot twist.

Shyamalan and Sparks Have More in Common as Storytellers Than People Expect

As weird as this team-up may seem, Shyamalan and Sparks clicked almost immediately, with the latter saying their collaboration “came down to chemistry.” Shyamalan’s stories may attract viewers due to his plot twists and mastery in building tension, but they are also rooted in their protagonists’ deep emotional core. Shyamalan has given us several compelling protagonists in his films, from Bruce Willis‘ Malcolm Crowe in The Sixth Sense and Bryce Dallas Howard‘s Ivy in The Village, to even making his central character an antagonist with his last film, Trap.

Sparks usually works the same way, building chemistry between his characters by developing them from an emotional standpoint. Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie’s (Rachel McAdams) saga in The Notebook, for example, is only that impactful because we know who they are and what their feelings are deep down, similar to the characters in Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember. Those are all tragedies as much as romances, leaving anyone with a heart in shambles upon watching their adaptations.

For Remain, the core emotional theme seems to be grief, which both Shyamalan and Sparks regularly integrate into their work. It has been a recurring theme in many series and films in recent years, often explored as a kind of love that lingers after we lose a loved one — a feeling that, well, “remains” despite their departure. A love story with a supernatural twist feels like an amalgamation of the types of stories Shyamalan and Sparks excel at.

Shyamalan Almost Collaborated With Sparks in ‘The Notebook,’ Too

Another interesting thing about Remain is that it was almost the second collaboration between Shyamalan and Sparks. That’s because, as Sparks revealed, when The Notebook was being developed as a feature film back in the late 1990s, the producers initially sought Shyamalan to write the script. It didn’t work, as he chose to focus on The Sixth Sense instead, but it seems like the door was left open on both ends for them to eventually team up in the future. Of course, it worked for the best, as both movies went on to become hits. Back then, Shyamalan had already worked as a writer, albeit uncredited, on She’s All That, so it was already clear he knew how to tackle romances. So, Remain feels like a full-circle moment for a collaboration that was decades in the works, and will hopefully pay off with another hit.

Remain hits theaters on October 23, 2026.