2027's Most Anticipated Book Adaptation Comes From Literature's Most Unlikely Duo

Published Oct 26, 2026, 6:45 PM EDT Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV. With just a few short months left in 2026, there's one novel adaptation coming early in 2027 that may be a surprise, as it comes from an incredibly unlikely duo. Over the past few years, some incredible creative minds have come together to take their specific skill sets and make something exciting. With link ups from creatives all over the map, one of the most surprising pairs to come together in recent memory involves a titan of the modern romance novel and a pioneer of the modern horror film. Despite their differences, both are storytellers looking for inspiration in everything. 2027 will bring to life the film adaptation of novelist Nicholas Sparks and filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's first collaboration, Remain. The novel, which was published in late 2025, tells the story of a grieving architect who comes in contact with a mysterious woman while he tries to rebuild his life. Combining romance and supernatural mystery, the novel was able to take from both Sparks' twisting, often gutting work as a romance author, and infuse the story with a raw sense of impending doom, as Shyamalan has been known to do within his films. The collaboration has been intense but interesting for fans of both Sparks and Shyamalan. Remain, which is set to release in early 2027, will take the source material of the novel and present it in a whole new style, this time with Shyamalan taking the reins. With an unconventional path to fruition, Remain will be an interesting test for creative collaboration. Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan's Unlikely Collaboration Makes Remain Stand Out Sparks and Shymalan have both built reputation for themselves in their own rights, but seeing them working together was a surprise ahead of the release of Remain in 2025. While Sparks has long been known for his romantic work, Remain was a completely different style for the author, as it infused romance with a dark supernatural mystery that had Shymalan written all over it. On the other side of the coin, Shymalan stepping into the world of a romantic story was jarring, as he's best known for his suspenseful work on the silver screen. Their collaboration, however, was an exciting one. Remain being a collaboration between one of the most well-known authors of the modern romance genre and one of the most lauded filmmakers in the supernatural horror space made it all the more interesting to readers. While both know their own genre well, stepping into each other's spaces and collaborating on a story that brought them together was a huge swing, and one that ultimately was worth the risk. Remain also made it clear that though their points of view were quite different, Sparks and Shymalan were often grappling with the same themes within their larger bodies of work, tackling grief, loss, and the ways intense relationships change people's lives. Remain is available for puchase through this link. Remain's Goodreads Rating & Early Reviews Are Great Signs For Its Upcoming Release Image via Warner Bros. After spending just over a year on shelves, Remain has been able to find its audience among Sparks fans and Shymalan fans alike. The novel holds steady at roughly a 3.8 on Goodreads, which has given it a fair shake from its readers that have reviewed on the platform. With Sparks stepping into a somewhat different lane, the score is favorable, and makes it clear that despite trying something new, Sparks and Shymalan worked well together in building their story. With the novel having been out for just over a year, the next piece of the puzzle is the film adaptation of Remain, which is set for a theatrical release in February 2027. Early reviews of Remain have been exciting for the upcoming film, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor in the main roles. With critics and fans alike saying that the film is one of Shymalan's best in years, Remain appears to be captivating audiences as the filmmaker returns to a less-horror, more-thriller style of movie. Though there are still a few months until Remain's release, the fact that early reviews are generating buzz surrounding the film is a great sign for fans of the novel and those who are gearing up for the movie.