Safe Haven

Julianne Hough in Talks for Nicholas Sparks Adaptation SAFE HAVEN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 18th, 2012 at 1:59 pm

Good news, everyone: the next Nicholas Sparks adaptation finally has a female lead!  Despite being set for a pre-Valentine’s Day 2013 release this past December, Safe Haven has been without a female lead for the duration of its development.  Josh Duhamel (Transformers) recently signed on as the male lead, and now Variety reports that Footloose star Julianne Hough is in talks to land that coveted female role.  The story centers on a young woman with a dark past who arrives in a small North Carolina town, and reluctantly begins a relationship with a widowed store owner and his two children, and a friendship with her plainspoken neighbor.

Keira Knightley was previously rumored to be eyeing the role, but apparently a deal never materialized. Lasse Hallström (Chocolat) is onboard to direct the adaptation.  I quite liked Hough’s charisma in Footloose, and Diablo Cody chose her to star in the Juno scribe’s upcoming untitled directorial debut.  The actress will next be seen opposite Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages when it opens next month.  Hit the jump to read a synopsis of Sparks’ novel.

Casting Call: Josh Duhamel to Lead Nicholas Sparks Adaptation SAFE HAVEN; Andrea Riseborough Joins Alexander Skarsgard in HIDDEN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 25th, 2012 at 1:52 pm

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this afternoon.  First up, Josh Duhamel is ready to get his Nicholas Sparks on.  Variety reports that the Transformers star is in negotiations to lead the adaptation of Sparks’ Safe Haven.  The story centers on a young woman with a dark past who arrives in a small North Carolina town, and reluctantly begins a relationship with a widowed store owner and his two children, and a friendship with her plainspoken neighbor.  Duhamel would play the widowed store owner, but producers are still trying to fill the female lead role.  Also, I’m assuming someone dies at the end.

Lasse Hallström (Chocolat) is onboard to direct and the film already has a pre-Valentine’s Day release date set for February 8th, 2013.  The Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron, opened to a successful number two at the box office last weekend.  Hit the jump for casting news concerning the low-budget thriller Hidden and to read a synopsis for Safe Haven.

Keira Knightley May Star in Lasse Hallström’s SAFE HAVEN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 15th, 2012 at 11:08 am

Keira Knightley is in early talks to star in Lasse Hallström‘s adaptation of Nicholas Sparks‘ novel Safe Haven.  Knightley would play a young woman with a dark past who arrives in a small North Carolina town, and reluctantly begins a relationship with a widowed store owner and his two children, and a friendship with her plainspoken neighbor.  Hallström is currently finishing up work on his Swedish crime thriller The Hypnotist, and Twitch reports that he plans to start shooting Safe Haven in May.  Safe Haven is Hallström’s second time working from a Sparks novel having previously directed 2010′s Dear John.  Knightley will next be seen this summer in the apocalyptic romantic comedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and this fall in Joe Wright‘s adaptation of Anna Karenina.

Safe Haven is due out on Valentine’s Day 2013.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.

New Release Dates for SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, OUTRUN, SAFE HAVEN, and Tyler Perry’s WE THE PEEPLES and THE MARRIAGE COUNSELOR

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 21st, 2011 at 8:31 pm

A lot of movement on the release date calendar over the past week:

• CBS Films pushed Salmon Fishing in the Yemen back one week from March 2 to March 9, 2012.
• Open Road set Outrun for release on August 24, 2012.
• Relativity rescheduled Safe Haven from June 1, 2012 to Valentine’s Day 2013.
• Lionsgate scheduled two Tyler Perry productions: The Marriage Counselor opens on July 27, 2012; We the Peeples follows on March 29, 2013.

Hit the jump for details on each movie.

Producer Wyck Godfrey Talks THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 1 and PART 2, GOLIATH, SAFE HAVEN, ABC’s REVENGE, and More

by Christina Radish    Posted: November 17th, 2011 at 10:27 am

While at the big Los Angeles press junket for Summit Entertainment’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, I got the opportunity to chat with Wyck Godfrey, producer of all the films in the very popular franchise. Even though they are still hard at work at putting the finishing touches on Part 2, he is now able to step back a bit and reflect on his involvement with the entire experience.

During this exclusive interview with Collider, Wyck Godfrey talked about the great moment of elation and happiness that he had when they finished shooting, what it’s been like to see the same dedicated fans supporting them throughout, what director Bill Condon brought to the franchise and the actors’ performances, the level of secrecy involved with keeping the design of Bella’s wedding dress a secret, that there is a longer honeymoon scene and a Volturi scene for the eventual DVD, the challenges in getting Bella and Edward’s child right, and how Bella being a vampire in Part 2 is going to blow people away. He also talked about his hit ABC television series Revenge, and the next feature films that he’s focusing on – the Biblical epic Goliath, starring Dwayne Johnson, and an adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel, Safe Haven. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Producer Wyck Godfrey Talks GOLIATH, ABC’s REVENGE, Nicholas Sparks Adaptation SAFE HAVEN; Reveals Taylor Lautner Passed on GOLIATH

by Christina Radish    Posted: November 4th, 2011 at 8:46 am

While at the big Los Angeles press junket for Summit Entertainment’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, Collider got the opportunity to chat with Wyck Godfrey, producer of all the films in the very popular franchise. While we will post what he had to say about the film closer to its November 18^th release, we did want to share what he had to say about what he’s focused on, now that the Twilight films are finished shooting.

With his attention currently focused on the ABC drama Revenge, his first foray into television, his company is also developing two movies that will go into production next year. The first is the Biblical epic Goliath, which will give the backstory of David’s pursuit of Goliath. They hope to have Dwayne Johnson in the Goliath role, but they have to cast the David role, as Taylor Lautner will no longer be a part of the project. The other film is hugely popular author Nicholas Sparks latest book, Safe Haven, which is about two people who feel like they’ve been damaged and hurt in love before, and yet can’t help but take that second chance, all with an added thriller and supernatural element to the story. Currently finishing that script, they hope to cast soon. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Lasse Hallström in Talks to Direct Adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ SAFE HAVEN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 1st, 2011 at 5:38 pm

It appears that every single one of author Nicholas Sparks’ books will become a movie. Director Lasse Hallström (Chocolat) is currently in talks to helm Relativity’s adaptation of Sparks’ novel Safe Haven. Hallström has some experience with Sparks adaptations, having helmed last year’s Dear John starring Amanda Seyfried. Dana Stevens (City of Angels) wrote the screenplay for Safe Haven, and Deadline reports that Relativity hopes to have production underway this fall. The story centers on a mysterious young woman who shows up in a small North Carolina town. As she begins to fall in love, her dark past continues to haunt her. Hit the jump for a synopsis of Sparks’ book.

Relativity Media Wins the Bidding War to Adapt the Upcoming Nicholas Sparks Novel SAFE HAVEN

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: August 5th, 2010 at 10:04 pm

As the author of A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Dear John, and The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks has been a reliable provider to the cinematic romantic dramas of the last decade.  As such, it’s completely understandable that Relativity Media fought hard to acquire the screen rights to his next work, Safe Haven, which sees release on September 14th.

Sparks shakes things up a bit with Haven.  There’s still an element of romance, and as always, North Carolina is Sparks’ go-to setting.  But Haven flirts with the thriller genre as young Katie “struggles with a dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her” just as she begins to fall in love.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

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