Nicholas Sparks Adaptation, The Choice, Begins Production in North Carolina

Production is set to begin today in Wilmington, NC on the Lionsgate film The Choice, based on the number one New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Sparks’s novel of the same name. Directed by Ross Katz (Taking Chance) and adapted for the screen by Bryan Sipe (A Million Miles), the film stars Benjamin Walker, Teresa Palmer, Maggie Grace, Alexandra Daddario, Tom Welling and Tom Wilkinson. Sparks and Theresa Park are partnering with Peter Safran (The Conjuring, Annabelle) to produce and finance the film, the first independent feature from Nicholas Sparks Productions.

The Choice tells the story of Travis Parker (Walker) and Gabby Holland (Palmer), who meet first as neighbors in a small coastal town and end up pursuing a relationship that neither could have foreseen. Spanning a decade and tracing the evolution of a love affair that is ultimately tested by life’s most defining events, this story features a memorable ensemble of friends and family in Sparks’s beloved North Carolina setting, culminating in the question that every couple must ask themselves: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

Lionsgate’s Jason Constantine, president of acquisitions and co-productions and Eda Kowan, executive vice president, acquisitions and co-productions will oversee the project for the studio. Good Universe is handling international sales for the film.

Sparks has written 17 novels, all New York Times best-sellers, that have sold more than 95 million copies worldwide and been translated into over 50 languages. Eight of Sparks’s books have been made into films, including The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, Dear John and The Lucky One. The Best of Me, the film adaptation of one of his latest novels, is due in theaters this Friday, October 17 and the adaptation of his novel The Longest Ride is currently in post-production.