Universal Pictures has entered into a first-look production deal with “The Notebook” author Nicholas Sparks to bring three of his more recent novels to the big screen, starting with last year’s runaway hit “The Wish.” Sparks and Anonymous Content will partner to produce three feature films for Universal, each one based on one of his most recent books, though only a film based on “The Wish” was announced on Tuesday.

Zack Hayden will produce “The Wish” on behalf of Anonymous Content with oversight by Anonymous Content CEO Dawn Olmstead and CCO David Levine, alongside Theresa Park, Sparks’ longtime literary agent and collaborator, and Universal Pictures’ Vice President of Production Development, Lexi Barta.

No director or screenwriter was set for the project. “The Wish” begins in 1996 and follows a teenager named Maggie Dawes who is sent away to live with an aunt she barely knows in a remote village in North Carolina, only to meet the handsome Bryce Trickett, who has just been accepted into West Point Academy.

The story picks up in 2019 as Maggie is now a renowned travel photographer grounded over Christmas who recounts the story of her old love to her young assistant. “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. “We are honored to partner with Nick, Theresa, and Anonymous Content on these new films, which we know will build upon his successful track record of captivating audiences around the globe.”“Nicholas Sparks has given us over twenty novels and nearly as many films, each of which deftly evoke every single possible human emotion,” Anonymous Content.

Nicholas Sparks Book ‘The Wish’ in Development at Universal as Part of First-Look Production Deal

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