Behind-The-Scenes Of The Lucky One

Nicholas Sparks' slushy adaps make big box office and made household names of Ryan Gosling and Channing Tatum. Total Film joins Zac Efron on-set of the latest, The Lucky One , to watch your next date movie being made...

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Just what does it take to make romance work? It’s a question that’s plagued Hollywood execs as much as it might the average single thirty-something – what are the requisite ingredients that go into making a perfect weepie?

For an ingredient with a proven track record, look no further than one Nicholas Sparks, the Nebraska-born author of blue-collar chick-lit novels from The Notebook to A Walk To Remember , both of which have spawned undeniably classic date movies.

So ingrained is Sparks’ clout in the movie-going public’s minds that recent Rachel McAdams/Channing Tatum rom-dram The Vow was mistaken for a Sparks adap by many punters prior to its release, for no reason other than they simply assumed it must be him.

Who else could have written the source material for a Midwest-set weepie that smashed box office records on Valentine’s Day, and became the first 2012 film to cross the $100 million mark? Somewhere along the way, Sparks’ name has become synonymous with commercially successful slush.

Writer

Emma Didbin is a writer and journalist who has contributed to 12DOVE, The New York Times, Elle, Esquire, The Hollywood Reporter, Vulture, and more. Emma can currently be found in Los Angeles where she is pursuing a career in TV writing. Emma has also penned two novels, and somehow finds the time to write scripts for Parcast – the Spotify-owned network that creates thrilling true crime and mystery podcasts.