Jake Gyllenhaal’s grieving New Yorker steps into ‘Remain’ horror mystery: first look with Phoebe Dynevor
Warner Bros. has unveiled a first look at Remain, the Jake Gyllenhaal–Phoebe Dynevor team-up you’ll want to see for yourself.
The first footage from Remain doesn’t ease you in—it swerves. It opens like a breezy meet-cute on the coast: Tate Gordon, a reclusive New York architect played by Jake Gyllenhaal, relocates to a tiny seaside town to finish a project and meets Wren (Phoebe Dynevor). There are warm, hand-held shots of their cozy place, board games on the floor, laughter—then the air turns. The tone snaps from romance to something darker as Wren starts behaving like a stranger, slipping in and out of scenes and out of Tate’s grasp.
Warner Bros. rolled out the first look on Tuesday, focusing entirely on Gyllenhaal and Dynevor’s unnerving push-pull. The rest of the film ’s cast didn’t appear in the teaser, but the supporting lineup is set:
- Ashley Walters
- Julie Hagerty
- Jay O. Sanders
- Tracy Ifeachor
- Hannah James
- Caleb Ruminer
- Kieran Mulcare
- Maria Dizzia
Opens in theaters on Valentine’s Day.
Shyamalan x Sparks
It’s the rare team-up that makes you do a double take: thriller specialist M. Night Shyamalan joining forces with romance powerhouse Nicholas Sparks. Their collaboration spans both the story and producing. The film is produced through Shyamalan’s Blinding Edge Pictures with Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and Theresa Park; Sparks is also on board as executive producer. In a twist on their usual playbook, the movie also inspired Sparks’ novel of the same name.
Shyamalan has said earlier this year that making Remain was the most taxing shoot of his career—no small claim from the filmmaker behind The Sixth Sense and Split. The teaser backs up the hybrid pitch, pivoting from Sparks-flavored sparks to a classic Shyamalan chill without telegraphing where the trapdoor is.
Warner Bros. describes the setup as Tate emerging from his shell after meeting Wren, only to realize nothing is what it seems. The movie was initially penciled in for a Halloween 2026 release before landing on its new February date.