Sometimes you just have to wonder if Hollywood studios create projects via Mad Libs. How else do you get a film that is going to star Jake Gyllenhaal, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and co-created by Nicholas Sparks? Is it a spooky take on “The Notebook?” Who knows?
According to Deadline, Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s new, untitled film. Details are a bit scarce, but it’s being described as a supernatural romantic thriller. Romance, you say? Yes, yes. That’s where Nicholas Sparks comes in. Apparently, he and Shyamalan have both come up with the basic story for the film.
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But this is where things might be a bit more interesting. Both Sparks and Shyamalan came up with the basics, but now, both men are going to expand it independently into their respective mediums. That means Sparks is going to turn the story into a novel, while Shyamalan turns it into the script for his movie.
Again, we don’t know really anything about the film other than Gyllenhaal’s involvement. That said, it’s a huge get for Shyamalan, as Gyllenhaal is one of the best actors on the planet. Shyamalan is no stranger to landing big stars, as previous films have included folks such as James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Joaquin Phoenix, Mel Gibson, and Mark Wahlberg. That said, his most recent films have focused less on the big name stars and more on finding unique casting choices, such as Josh Hartnett for “Trap” and Dave Bautista in “Knock at the Cabin.”
It’s also unclear when we might see this film get released. We do know it’s Shyamalan’s next feature, and the filmmaker works pretty fast. So if filming begins sometime this year, we’re looking at a 2026 release. We’ll just have to wait and see.
