M. Night Shyamalan is gearing up to captivate audiences once again with his latest project, Remain, a supernatural romantic thriller that teams him up with Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor. Collaborating with romance novel legend Nicholas Sparks, Shyamalan is entering a new realm. This new project, bringing two fan favorites together, promises to blend Shyamalan’s signature eerie twists with heartfelt emotion. The film has officially secured a release date of October 23, 2026, and anticipation is already building for what could be a unique addition to Shyamalan’s diverse filmography.
M. Night Shyamalan’s Remain gets a release date and star power! Shyamalan’s directing style is a masterclass in building suspense and horror through slow-burn tension, often weaving supernatural or psychological elements into deeply personal stories. His recent collaboration with Warner Bros. solidified his place within the studio, starting with his 2024 thriller Trap and continuing with Remain. Trap, released on August 2, 2024, showcased Shyamalan’s ability to craft a high-stakes, contained narrative. It focused on a serial killer, played by Josh Hartnett, who attends a pop concert with his daughter, only to realize he is the target of a massive police sting. The film, backed by Warner Bros., grossed nearly $84 million worldwide on a $30 million budget.
Warner Bros.’ faith in Shyamalan extended beyond Trap. This successful partnership sets a strong foundation for Remain, another Warner Bros. project. This collaboration pushes Shyamalan to explore a supernatural romantic thriller with the studio’s backing, likely leveraging their trust in his vision to deliver a unique blend of emotion and suspense on October 23, 2026.
Remain is set to premiere in theaters on October 23, 2026, a date recently confirmed by Warner Bros. Pictures, which will distribute the film. This release places Remain in a competitive slot, as it will share the same weekend with Jordan Peele’s next movie at Universal, letting the two vie for the release date. Shyamalan’s Blinding Edge Pictures is producing the film. Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan are leading the charge alongside producers Marc Bienstock and Theresa Park, a longtime collaborator of Sparks. Nicholas Sparks is an executive producer, ensuring his romantic touch is woven into the narrative. The story, born from a collaboration between Shyamalan and Sparks, will also see a companion novel release.
While the plot remains largely a mystery, the film’s setting on Cape Cod hints at a moody, atmospheric backdrop for this supernatural love story. This perfectly aligns with Shyamalan’s knack for blending the otherworldly with the deeply human. Jake Gyllenhaal, known for his transformative roles in films like Nightcrawler, stars as the lead in Remain. Joining him are Phoebe Dynevor, who gained widespread acclaim for her role as Daphne in Netflix’s Bridgerton, and Ashley Walters, known for playing Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe in the Netflix drama Adolescence.
Remain is poised to be a standout in M. Night Shyamalan’s career. It combines his knack for suspenseful, twist-filled storytelling with the romantic allure of Nicholas Sparks’ influence. With Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor leading the cast, the film has the potential to deliver both emotional depth and chilling surprises when it arrives on the silver screen.
The romantic thriller Remain will see M. Night Shyamalan team up with Jake Gyllenhaal, with Warner Bros. setting its release for October 2026. Back in April, we were treated to a few key details regarding the planned M. Night Shyamalan film, Remain. Described as a supernatural romantic thriller, author Nicholas Sparks is writing the book, which is expected to release in autumn 2025, with the film version of Remain also being penned at the same time by Shyamalan.
In the film version, Jake Gyllenhaal will play Tate Donovan, an architect recovering from clinical depression and looking for a new start. Here’s a brief synopsis: New York architect Tate Donovan arrives in Cape Cod to design his best friend’s summer home. Donovan is looking for a fresh start after his recent discharge from a psychiatric facility where he was treated for acute depression. Still grappling with the loss of his beloved sister, Donovan meets Wren, a young woman who makes him challenge everything he knows about his logical and controlled world.
This intriguing premise sets the stage for a narrative that promises to explore themes of love, loss, and redemption, all while maintaining Shyamalan's signature style of suspense. Thanks to World Of Reel, we now know when it’s coming out: Warner Bros has scheduled the film for October 23, 2026. That would put the film on a collision course with Universal’s next Jordan Peele film, although the outlet suggests that the latter project could yet move—there’s speculation that Peele may not yet have handed a script in. Imagine if both films make the date though and neither studio blinks. What a double header that would be!
We’re looking forward to seeing Gyllenhaal collaborating with Shyamalan. While not every M. Night film works as effectively as it might, it’s always entertaining to see movie stars come into the filmmaker’s fold and try to tune into that unique Shyamalan style. Josh Hartnett certainly seemed to have fun with that process in last year’s Trap, and Gyllenhaal has no problem diving headlong into wackiness (or into oceans, for that matter). We’ll bring you more on this one as we hear it.
