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Universal Signs First-Look Production Deal With ‘Notebook’ Author Nicholas Sparks
Nicholas Sparks signs a first-look production deal with Universal Pictures that will see The Notebook author produce three movies.

Universal Signs First-Look Production Deal With ‘Notebook’ Author Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas SparksRosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images)

Universal Pictures has signed a first-look production deal with Nicholas Sparks that will see Anonymous Content and the popular The Notebook author partner to produce three features for the Hollywood studio.

The films will be based on some of Sparks’ recent romantic novels, the first being The Wish, with Zack Hayden producing for Anonymous Content. Sparks has published over 105 million books and has seen 11 of his 20 novels turned into feature films.

Beside The Notebook and Message in a Bottle, other films adapted from his works include A Walk to Remember, Safe Haven, The Lucky One, Nights in Rodanthe, The Last Song, Dear John and The Best of Me.

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Those movies have, to date, grossed worldwide around $750 million. “Nick Sparks’s evocative novels have served as beloved cultural touchstones, with strong characters and powerful themes that make them ideal for cinematic adaptation,” Universal Pictures president Peter Cramer said in a statement.

The former Nicholas Sparks Productions, the film and TV production company founded by the romance author, shuttered in 2016. The company, based on the Warner Bros. lot, launched in 2012 with a two-year, first-look deal with Warner Horizon Television to create TV series.

Now Sparks has turned to Universal and Anonymous Content to make movie adaptations. “Through page and screen, he pulls readers and viewers deep into these character’s lives and more than ever, we need these stories and feel so connected to their themes of love, family, hardships, and resilience. We are thrilled to team up with him, Theresa, and the team at Universal to bring more of these epic love stories to audiences,” Anonymous Content CEO Dawn Olmstead added.

A Broadway musical adaptation of The Notebook is currently in development via producers Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch, with music and lyrics penned by Ingrid Michaelson and Bekah Brunstetter.

Sparks is represented by Anonymous Content and Park & Fine Literary and Media.