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Lasse Hallström in Talks to Adapt Nicholas Sparks' Novel 'Safe Haven'

by Ethan Anderton
June 2, 2011
Source: Deadline

Though his recent fare like his adaptation of Dear John has left something to be desired, director Lasse Hallström still has my support after delivering such fine films as What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Chocolat. However, the director is sticking to recently familiar territory as Deadline reports Hallström will be at the helm of Safe Haven, another novel from Nicholas Sparks. The story follows a young North Carolina woman determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships. As she begins to fall in love, she struggles with a secret that haunts and terrifies her.

Here's more details synopsis of the story:

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her… a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards… and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

Sounds like the same melodramatic, cheesy drama we've come to expect from Sparks' novels. The Last Song, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe, and Message in a Bottle all come from the author's best-selling novels, but it's The Notebook that's really been the only adaptation to really deliver a truly stellar film. I'd like to see Hallström tackle a film that harnesses the same quality drama he once delivered so well over a decade ago, but I'm not sure that another Nicholas Sparks novel is the best option. How about you?

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