Remain Trailer: Horror Master M. Night Shyamalan Teams Up With Romance Maestro Nicholas Sparks

by · /Film

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What if frightmaster M. Night Shyamalan teamed up with ... uh... Nicholas Sparks? The guy who wrote "The Notebook" and a bunch of other romance stories? The result would apparently be "Remain," a new oddity that stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor. The first "Remain" trailer is here, and in true modern M. Night fashion, it looks very strange.

I'm a longtime Shyamalan defender (I was in his corner even when others turned on him, damn it!), so I'm always going to give him a fair shake. That said, while I'm not an age gap purist (I tend to roll my eyes at people who complain hard about that sort of thing), the age gap between Gyllenhaal (who is 45) and Dynevor (who is 31) looks very noticeable here, as he seems considerably older than her. Then again, maybe that's all part of the plan. Anyway, watch the "Remain" trailer above, then we'll talk more.

Remain is clearly not your typical romance movie

Warner Bros.

I'm from Philadelphia, which means Philly's own M. Night Shyamalan is something of a hero of mine. Shyamalan's career has been a bit of a rollercoaster: "The Sixth Sense" made him a big deal, but his filmography went through a bit of a lull, at least in the eyes of some critics and moviegoers. "The Village" seemed to be the turning point for many, but I've long maintained that that film is one of Shyamalan's best. 

After some box office struggles, Shyamalan bounced back with the hit "The Visit," and he's been riding high ever since, at least in terms of financial success. I've enjoyed the majority of his comeback films (with the exception of "Glass," which was a disappointment). Lots of folks seemed turned off by his most recent movie "Trap," but I think it rules.

Anyway, all that said, I'm not entirely sold on "Remain" yet. The trailer is intentionally vague, but the cover of the book that inspired the film calls it "a supernatural love story," so you can probably figure out what's going on here, or at least take a guess. "Remain" arrives in theaters on Valentine's Day 2027.