M. Night Shyamalan’s new book, Remain, just became a big hit with readers as the movie adaptation approaches. Co-written by author Nicholas Sparks, the paranormal romance novel follows a grieving architect as he encounters a mysterious woman after moving to Cape Cod for work.
With a movie adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor set to arrive next year, Warner Bros. has now reshared Random House’s recent post celebrating Remain’s new milestone. The post announces the book’s status as a #1 New York Times Bestseller, congratulating both Sparks and Shyamalan.
Remain accomplished this feat in just over a week, with the book having hit shelves on October 14. Though Warner Bros.’ post may say the film adaptation will be in theaters “soon,” the Shyamalan-directed project is still about a year away, with a release date set for October 23, 2026.
Shyamalan confirmed on his own Instagram account that principal photography began on Remain back in June of this year. Filming subsequently wrapped in August, meaning the project will now be in post-production. The movie will mark the director’s follow-up to Trap in 2024, which earned mixed reviews from critics but became a modest box office success.
Remain‘s conception marks a first for Shyamalan. The filmmaker typically writes his own movies, which includes hits like The Sixth Sense (1999), Signs (2002), and The Village (2004), but this upcoming project was devised as a collaboration that would become both a novel and a movie.
Sparks comes with his own impressive resume, having written books like The Notebook, Dear John, and Safe Haven, many of which have been adapted into hit films. The author has written 25 books, all of which have now become New York Times Bestsellers, meaning Remain is not an outlier.
Remain‘s immense popularity after only about a week and a half is a promising sign for the movie adaptation. Shyamalan continues to write and direct reliably successful thrillers, and the Sparks connection with this one is likely to work in the project’s favor.
The upcoming adaptation will also mark the first collaboration between Shyamalan and Gyllenhaal. The actor is coming off of a successful run in Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent TV series, with Prime Video’s Road House (2024) remake marking his most recent feature film. Dynevor, too, is a first-time Shyamalan collaborator, and is best known for her role in Netflix’s Bridgerton.
With a release date still about a year away, Remain is not likely to get its first trailer for some time. Those who enjoyed the book can likely expect a teaser trailer at some point next spring, but promotional images are likely to be released before that, providing a first look at Gyllenhaal and Dynevor in character.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
