Shyamalan surprises Beyond Fest with secret premiere of Remain
M. Night Shyamalan walked out at the 2026 Beyond Fest with a secret in hand.
The director personally introduced a surprise premiere of his new film Remain, which screened ahead of a planned retrospective showing of his 1998 hit The Sixth Sense, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Few in the room knew what was coming. Shyamalan took the microphone first, then rolled a finished film months before its cinema release.
Remain is described as a romantic supernatural thriller. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Phoebe Dynevor and Julie Hagerty.
The story follows an architect recovering from depression who moves to Cape Cod and meets a mysterious woman. Gyllenhaal plays the architect. Dynevor plays the woman he encounters.
The project began as a partnership between Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks, the author behind The Notebook and Dear John. The pair co-created the story, which was first published as a bestselling 2025 novel of the same name.
Warner Bros. calls it an unprecedented collaboration between two of the world's most creative minds, according to Warner Bros..
Warner Bros. plans to release Remain in theatres on Feb. 5, 2027. The date is a move from its original slot of Oct. 23, 2026, shifting it closer to Valentine's Day, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It is Shyamalan's second film in a row for the studio after 2024's Trap. That film made $84 million at the box office on a $30 million budget.
Shyamalan told Warner Bros. Discovery's upfront presentation in 2026 that Remain was "my highest-testing movie of my career." Test screenings are closed viewings where sample audiences score a film before release.
A first-look trailer for Remain has already been released, showing Gyllenhaal encountering Dynevor, according to Entertainment Weekly. Early audience reactions were posted to social media straight after the Beyond Fest screening.
What makes this stand out is the pairing itself. Shyamalan built his name on twists and suspense. Sparks built his on romance. Remain puts those two tracks on one screen.
