PHILADELPHIA — In an unexpected twist, horror filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's next project will be a collaboration with popular romance novelist Nicholas Sparks. The duo will collaborate on an original supernatural romantic thriller in their respective mediums: Shyamalan will write a screenplay and Sparks will write a novel based on the same concept, Deadline reported this week.

Though details are scant at the moment, one major celebrity is already attached to the project — Jake Gyllenhaal. The "Road House" actor is expected to star in Shyamalan's film, presumably as the romantic lead. Montgomery County native Shyamalan will be a producer through his company Blinding Edge Pictures and Sparks will executive produce. Shyamalan's team is in talks with Warner Brothers to release the film in theaters.

The unlikely pairing of Sparks, renowned for tearjerkers like "The Notebook" and "A Walk to Remember," and Shyamalan, the divisive-but-beloved director, marks a fascinating turn in the filmmaker's horror career. Shyamalan's protagonists don't often experience happy endings or comfortable couplings, and Sparks' characters rarely venture beyond reality. Getting both writers out of their comfort zones could yield refreshing results.

Many of Sparks' bestselling novels — he's sold more than 130 million copies globally — have been turned into successful film adaptations. His most recent title, "Counting Miracles," is currently being developed into a film by Amazon.

Last summer, Shyamalan released his 16th feature, "Trap," starring Josh Hartnett as a serial killer dad caught (or was he?) in a police sting when taking his daughter to a pop star's concert. Though set in Philadelphia, it was one of the few projects Shyamalan, who lives in Willistown Township, did not film locally. While he's known for setting and shooting most of his films in his hometown region, it's unclear whether his upcoming film will have a Philly connection.

Will we see Gyllenhaal courtside next to Shyamalan, a huge Sixers fan? A romantic can dream.

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