M. Night Shyamalan Was Originally Appraoched To Adapt THE NOTEBOOK For The Big Screen
It’s hard to imagine The Notebook without picturing Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams drenched in the rain, passionately declaring their love in one of cinema’s most iconic romantic moments.
The 2004 Nicholas Sparks adaptation, directed by Nick Cassavetes, became one of the most beloved romance films of the 2000s. But believe it or not, a completely different filmmaker was once approached to bring the story to life, and it’s a name that might shock you.
Before Cassavetes was hired, Sparks revealed on Good Morning America that a very different kind of storyteller was first approached to adapt the film. he explained:
“Years ago, back in the '90s, when they were doing the script for The Notebook, one of the writers they approached to adapt The Notebook for screen: M. Night Shyamalan. You know why he couldn't do it? 'Cause he was doing The Sixth Sense.”
M. Night Shyamalan, was once in talks to turn one of the most romantic stories ever written into a film. Just imagine if the director behind Signs, Unbreakable, Split, and The Visit had taken on a tender love story instead of the haunting supernatural thriller that changed his career.
Before Shyamalan became synonymous with psychological thrillers and shocking reveals, he actually started off in lighter territory with the dramedy Wide Awake and his AFI Fest debut Praying with Anger.
While Wide Awake didn’t perform well at the box office, perhaps New Line Cinema saw something in his emotional storytelling that could have fit the tone of The Notebook.
Still, it’s crazy to think how different film history might have been. If Shyamalan had gone forward with The Notebook, we might never have gotten The Sixth Sense, one of the most chilling and acclaimed films of the late ’90s, a movie that earned six Oscar nominations and became a pop culture phenomenon. Looking back, it’s safe to say he made the right call.
But you have to wonder what The Notebook might have looked like under his direction. Would he have added one of his trademark twists? Maybe audiences wouldn’t have realized that the elderly couple in the nursing home were Noah and Allie until the very end.
Or maybe Allie would have surprised everyone by choosing Lon instead of Noah. It’s fun to imagine the alternate version of the Sparks story that could have been, one that might have left fans just as emotionally wrecked, but for totally different reasons.
Interestingly enough, The Sixth Sense ended up inspiring Sparks years later. The author told GMA that Shyamalan’s thriller helped shape one of his later novels:
“Shyamalan's psychological thriller inspired me to write a mysterious character in my novel Safe Haven.”
That mysterious character, Jo, turned out to be the ghost of the main character’s deceased wife, a twist that absolutely fits Shyamalan’s storytelling style.
While they never teamed up for The Notebook, Sparks and Shyamalan are finally collaborating on a new project called Remain.
Based on an idea from Sparks himself, the film follows an architect who builds a house for a friend in New England, only for things to take an unexpected turn once he ventures inside.
With promises of romance and “big twists,” Remain sounds like the perfect fusion of both creators’ strengths. The supernatural romantic thriller is set to hit theaters on October 23, 2026.