Jake Gyllenhaal’s next project will include both M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks. That’s a pretty strange list of names on its own, but the details only get weirder. According to Deadline, the Trap director and Notebook novelist came together on an original “supernatural romantic thriller.” They’ll bring the shared narrative into their respective mediums, allowing Gyllenhaal to star in the film while Sparks crafts the novel. It’s a new take on either movie novelizations or book adaptations.
Jake Gyllenhaal Becomes the Star of Both a Shyamalan Film and a Sparks Novel
Director M. Night Shyamalan loves a mystery. He keeps his projects shrouded in darkness until they’re ready to see the light. The director’s most recent film was Trap, which emerged from conversations between Shyamalan and his daughter. Universal teased Trap without a title, then revealed basic information a year later. It seems like Shyamalan’s next project will undergo a similar cycle, but at least there’s a little more information out there. Jake Gyllenhaal seems prepped to star, but his role remains unknown. Shyamalan collaborated on the story with Nicholas Sparks, who will also craft a novelization of that narrative. The two works will share characters, genre classifications, and the same central concept. They will, however, differ in ways that will better fit their medium. As two of the most popular artists of all time, Shyamalan and Sparks seem perfect for this experiment.
This is an unprecedented collaboration for Shyamalan, who hasn’t worked with an established novelist like this before. Sparks is no stranger to the world of cinema, but he’s not usually very involved. Most of his bestselling books reached the big screen in one form or another. Way back in 2010, Sparks co-wrote the screenplay for the cinematic adaptation of his novel “The Last Song.” He produced four of his most recent film adaptations, including Safe Haven and The Choice. Shyamalan is also no stranger to working from source material, but his takes often challenge longtime fans. The less said about his Last Airbender movie, the better. More recently, he took a shot at The Cabin at the End of the World with Knock at the Cabin. While his films remain controversial, at least they’re a lot more interesting these days.
Jake Gyllenhaal may be the most marketable name involved, but Shyamalan and Sparks are the brains behind this operation. Books based on movies and movies based on books are nothing new, but sharing the storytelling load to do both at the same time is a unique twist on the format. Leave it to Shyamalan to find a way to put a twist in his work beyond the narrative.
