M. Night Shyamalan’s New Psychological Thriller Is The “Highest-Testing Movie” Of His Career

M. Night Shyamalan says his upcoming movie, Remain, may be his strongest to date.

Remain follows an architect struggling with depression who relocates to Cape Cod, where he crosses paths with a mysterious woman. Shyamalan co-created the movie with author Nicholas Sparks, who also wrote The Notebook. The joint project between the two includes a book titled Remain: A Supernatural Love Story, which was written in 2025 by both Sparks and Shyamalan. The film will come out on February 5, 2027.

While speaking at Warner Bros. Discovery’s upfront presentation for advertisers, Shyamalan discussed his upcoming film, Remain. The infamous horror director and writer revealed that the movie is the highest-testing movie that he has ever made. The thriller stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Tate Donovan, Phoebe Dynevor as Wren, and Julie Hagerty in an undisclosed role at the time of this article’s publication.

According to Shyamalan, the two began developing Remain by exploring themes that truly frighten people on an emotional level. The duo combined their talents and different storytelling methods and created a romantic supernatural thriller. Rather than adapting one another’s work directly, Shyamalan and Sparks each chose to tell the same story through different mediums (film and literature).

Shyamalan also shared that the movie is currently in post-production. The director said he hopes viewers will connect with both the romantic elements of the story and the lingering sense of dread that accompanies it.’

Throughout the years, Shyamalan has become known for his intricate horror films. Most of his movies feature a lot of detailed foreshadowing and are usually followed by a major twist. The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, is arguably one of his most successful movies of all time.

The Sixth Sense follows child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis) as he attempts to help Cole Sear (Osment), who claims he can see and communicate with ghosts. As Malcolm tries to understand Cole’s terrifying experiences, the story gradually builds toward its now-iconic revelation that he himself has been dead since the beginning of the film after he was shot by a former patient.

After the movie was released, Shyamalan pointed out how there were a ton of very subtle signs that Willis’ character was a ghost. He explained how the only character who has ever directly spoken to him is Cole. Scenes of Malcolm where his wife or Cole’s mother were present never actually showed either of them interacting with him or even acknowledging his presence.

Remain will release in theaters on February 5, 2027.