Principal photography is underway on the romantic drama Nights in Rodanthe, under the direction of George C. Wolfe (Lackawanna Blues).
Shooting on location in Rodanthe, North Carolina, the film marks the screen reunion for Golden Globe Award winner Richard Gere (Chicago) and Diane Lane, who were previously paired in the 2002 thriller Unfaithful, for which Lane earned an Oscar nomination.
In Nights in Rodanthe, Lane stars as Adrienne Willis, a woman with her life in chaos, who retreats to the tiny coastal town of Rodanthe, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to tend to a friend’s inn for the weekend. Here she hopes to find the tranquility she so desperately needs to rethink the conflicts surrounding her — a wayward husband who has asked to come home, and a teenaged daughter who resents her every decision. Almost as soon as Adrienne gets to Rodanthe, a major storm is forecast and a guest named Dr. Paul Flanner (Gere) arrives. The only guest at the inn, Flanner is not on a weekend escape but rather is there to face his own crisis of conscience. Now, with the storm closing in, the two turn to each other for comfort and, in one magical weekend, set in motion a life-changing romance that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives.
The film also stars Scott Glenn as Robert Torrelson, the man behind Paul’s trip to the island; James Franco as Paul’s estranged son, Mark; Christopher Meloni as Adrienne’s husband, Jack; Viola Davis is Adrienne’s friend Jean, who runs the inn; Mae Whitman as Adrienne’s daughter, Amanda; and Pablo Schreiber as Robert’s son, Charlie Torrelson.
Nights in Rodanthe is produced by Denise Di Novi, who previously produced the film versions of Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling novels Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember. The screenplay is by Ann Peacock (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) and John Romano (American Dreams), based on Sparks’ novel. Doug Claybourne (North Country, The Mask of Zorro), Alison Greenspan (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), Dana Goldberg (Happy Feet) and Bruce Berman (Ocean’s Thirteen) serve as executive producers.
The creative team includes director of photography Affonso Beato (The Queen), Oscar-winning production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein (Amadeus), editor Brian Kates (Lackawanna Blues) and costume designer Victoria Farrell (Boys Don’t Cry).
Nights in Rodanthe is planned for a Summer 2008 release. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
