With Savannah’s dark beauty and penchant for the paranormal, it seems only fitting that Nicholas Sparks would choose to release his twenty-fifth heart-tugger, “Remain: A Supernatural Love Story,” here with the Savannah Book Festival on Oct. 14, at Trustees Theater.
What makes this haunting new novel especially ideal for Savannah in October, however, is Sparks wrote “Remain” in collaboration with the master of the eerie and atmospheric, acclaimed director M. Night Shyamalan. Although Sparks has collaborated with his brother, Micah Sparks, on a memoir, and 11 of his novels have been adapted for the screen, “Remain” is his first creative partnership with a film director from the story’s inception.
“This whole project was a little bit different than anything I’ve ever done, but it was a lot of fun,” said Sparks during a recent phone interview with the Savannah Morning News. “Night and I conceived the story together, went over the details, came up with the elements—the plot, the characters, the whole bit… And it was just the two of us decided to tell the story we came up with in two different mediums.”
On Tour: Crawl through the Green-Meldrim House with some of Savannah’s most noteworthy writers
On Film: Indie moody vampire film makes Georgia debut at Cinema Savannah screening on Oct. 3
Sparks and Shyamalan: Fans and now collaborators
Nicholas Sparks will be in Savannah on Oct. 14, for a Savannah Book Festival event at the Trustees Theater to celebrate the launch of his new novel, “Remain,” written in collaboration with filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan.
The story follows Tate Donovan, a New York architect, to Cape Cod, where he has gone not only to design his best friend’s summer home but also to recharge following the death of his sister and his subsequent treatment for acute depression. Before she passed, his sister reveals to Donovan that she has a gift—she “sees dead people”—and it is a trait that runs in their family. While in Cape Cod, Donovan meets the charming Wren, whose past may threaten their fragile, budding relationship.
“Remain” is filled with all the hallmarks of Sparks’s oeuvre—romance, buried secrets, danger and heartbreak—while also incorporating the best of Shyamalan’s thrilling suspense and mind-bending twists. Readers familiar with Sparks’s previous works—and there are millions—will recognize, however, that “Remain” is not his first tango with the supernatural. His 2010 novel “Safe Haven” was “my nod to Night, channeling him, because I loved ‘The Sixth Sense.’”
The two creative powerhouses were fans of each other’s work, said Sparks, but they had not met until 2023 after their Hollywood representatives suggested they get together. They hit it off and “hashed out the story.” Then, over the next year, Shyamalan wrote the first draft of a screenplay, which Sparks then pulled elements to start writing the book. They spoke two or three times a week sharing where they were taking the story, balancing what works well for a book (introspection, backstory, character development) as opposed to a screenplay (action, violence, dialogue).
“When it came to the novel,” said Sparks, “he gave me a very, very long leash, and when it came to the film, I have him a very, very long leash.”
Shyamalan’s movie of “Remain” will premiere in 2026, with actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor in the starring roles.
Sparks had such a good time with Shyamalan, he said he would be game for another collaboration. “It’s fun to watch someone else create. It’s not something I usually get to do any more than anyone else, right? So, it was fun for me to watch someone who has so much talent and knowledge and also original creativity work… and, of course, it’s fun to help him noodle with problems or brainstorm.”
Sparks will be in collaboration on stage at the Trustees on Oct. 14, with fellow North Carolinian and bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey will moderate the conversation.
If You Go >>
What: An Evening with Nicholas Sparks (moderated by Kristy Woodson Harvey)
When: 6 p.m., Oct. 14
Where: Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St.
Tickets: $60, includes event entry, a signed copy of “Remain” and one professional photo with Sparks; $54 discounted tickets for military members and students; Couples tickets are $90 and include admission for two and one pre-signed copy of “Remain.”
Call the SCAD Box Office to purchase discounted tickets at (912) 525-5050; tickets.scadboxoffice.com
Info: savannahbookfestival.org
Amy Paige Condon is a content coach, site editor and lifestyle reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Nicholas Sparks debuts ‘Remain’ in Savannah on Oct. 14, 2025