M. Night Shyamalan is moving on from Trap with something a little more romantic — but still plenty strange. Remain, his next supernatural thriller, is officially underway, and Deadline has confirmed the ensemble will include none other than Tracy Ifeachor, who broke out earlier this year as ER doctor Heather Collins on The Pitt. Ifeachor joins a packed cast that also includes Ashley Walters, Julie Hagerty, Jay O. Sanders, and Maria Dizzia, alongside previously announced leads Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor.
The twist? Remain isn’t just a movie. Shyamalan is teaming up with bestselling author Nicholas Sparks on a unique dual project — one story, told two ways: Shyamalan will direct and co-write the film, while Sparks pens a novel based on the same characters and concept. The film will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures on October 23, 2026.
This marks Shyamalan’s first feature since Trap, an eerie, high-concept thriller about a serial killer caught at a concert. Despite grossing nearly triple its $30 million budget (with $82.7 million at the box office), the film received a lukewarm response from critics, landing at just 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, were far kinder, with many praising the story’s suspense and subversion.
While Trap leaned more into psychological horror and dark tension, Remain looks set to channel a different energy entirely — a paranormal romance, grounded in character and emotion. That may explain the addition of The Pitt’s breakout performer.
Who Does Tracy Ifeachor Play in ‘The Pitt?
Speaking exclusively to Collider about her Pitt role earlier this year, Tracy Ifeachor shared what it’s been like to navigate rising public recognition, including a surreal subway encounter with fans.
“I got off, and I was in my running gear, and there were three men staring at me. I thought, ‘I’m going to just keep my eyes forward. Don’t make eye contact.’ Then one of them was like, ‘Hey! Hey, you!’ I was like, ‘Oh, hello, sir. How are you doing?’ He’s like, ‘You’re on The Pitt!’ ‘Oh. Yes. Yes, I am.’ He went, ‘Good job.’ [Laughs] Getting off the subway!”
Ifeachor also revealed details about her character’s back story:
Obviously, we didn’t get into it this season, but I learned that she came from finance, and that was her background. She actually came to medicine later in life. She didn’t follow the conventional route; she did a kind of fast-track version because she was at the top of her field in finance, and then she came into medicine when, I guess, she became disillusioned with some of the things that were going on with some of those institutions. So, she lands in this hospital, saving people and working on people
M. Night Shyamalan‘s latest film, Trap, is streaming now on Max.
via Collider