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Jake Gyllenhaal spotted as M. Night Shyamalan films his new movie, ‘Remain,’ in R.I.
In Little Compton, Shyamalan apparently found the most Shyamalan-esque building in Rhody. Plus, Gyllenhaal reportedly stopped for a latte.
Looks like M. Night Shyamalan is spending his summer in New England.
The Oscar winner is filming a “supernatural romantic-thriller” right now in Rhode Island.
“Remain,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and “Bridgerton” star Phoebe Dynevor (the lead for seasons 1 and 2) is based on a novel by the unexpected collab of Nicholas Sparks and Shyamalan. (The author of “The Notebook” and the director of “The Sixth Sense”? Here for it.)
The film is slated for an October 2026 release, according to IMDB. The Cape Cod-set novel hit shelves Oct. 7. And cameras are rolling now in Rhody.
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“Day 1. Film started rolling! Feeling very very grateful,” Shyamalan announced on Instagram last week.
Filming kicked off June 18 at Warren’s Coffee Depot. The shop announced on Facebook they were closed for a “private event.” According to the Providence Journal, the crew also shot at the Prudence Island Ferry dock in Bristol, after boarding a ferry to film on Narragansett Bay. (Shyamalan treated the cast and crew to lobster rolls and the like from Newport Chowder Company, they reported.)
On June 18, A local posted a photo of Shyamalan — in black boots and a trim Navy suit — on Hope Street in Bristol, “just strolling down checking out the filming location.”
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Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal apparently fueled up at another coffee shop, The Nitro Bar. On June 18, co-owner Audrey Finnochiaro announced on TikTok, “oh and did I mention Jake Gyllenhaal came into @The Nitro Bar today” with a crying emoji, coffee emoji and sunglasses emoji. She told a commenter Gyllenhaal ordered an “almond milk latte and milk pastries,” but didn’t mention which location – there’s one in Providence, two in Newport. (I’ve raved about their PVD spot.)
A perfect spot
On June 20, a crew descended on the tiny coastal town of Little Compton, specifically to its village of Adamsville, to film at the abandoned 237-year-old Gray’s General Store, a stone’s throw (literally) from Westport, Mass.
On Monday afternoon, crews were filming at Gray’s. Filming will resume June 27 in Little Compton, after filming in Warren, according to East Bay RI.
Gyllenhaal was spotted on set in Little Compton June 20, as captured by nearby resident Susan Honan, who posted to Facebook.
Large trucks remained parked at the now-closed Barn Restaurant parking lot on Main Street over the weekend. A security guard was posted at Gray’s.
Sitting by the quaint Adamsville Mill Pond, Gray’s dates to 1788. It’s been sitting empty for about a decade. With its inherent drama — all weather-beaten shingles, peeling paint, history in its bones — it looked ripe for a Hollywood set, be it a period drama or “Black Mirror.” It feels right on brand that Shyamalan’s location scouts discovered it.
On June 20 and 23, police directed traffic on Main Street, halting cars while film rolled. Every once in awhile, someone shouted “ROLLING!” A group of locals perched themselves on beach chairs and a stone wall across the street to watch the Hollywood action.
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The scene appeared to be of guests or tourists arriving somewhere — if I had to take a wild guess from the novel’s synopsis, it could be the exterior shots of the “historic bed-and-breakfast” on the Cape.
The already abandoned-looking building was decorated for filming with a large fake ice cream cone, old rocking horses on the front porch, what appeared to be a large toy-dispenser — the kind you see in supermarkets— or gumball machine laying flat on its side, and similar ephemera.
“Night is a visionary,” Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film & TV Office, said in an April press release. “It is a dream come true to have one of my favorite filmmakers making an original movie here in our beloved Ocean State.”
But wait, there’s more
Also filming in Rhody soon: Bravo’s first New England-set Housewives series, “Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” executive produced by Andy Cohen. Cohen told People it will be “Italian with a capital I” and the show is “really about who’s in Rhode Island.” (Intriguing.)
And according to a March RI Film & TV press release, Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, has partnered with Rhode Island-based production company, Verdi Productions, “for the authorized documentary on the life of Rod Serling, most known as the creator, host, narrator and primary writer of The Twilight Zone … Principal photography wrapped in Rhode Island, taking place in East Greenwich, Providence and Wakefield.”
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You may remember, Woody Harrelson, Jamie Lee Curtis and others were spotted in Rhode Island filming the movie “Ella McCay.” Shocking exactly zero people, Harrelson hit up a cannabis dispensary in Pawtucket. The movie — also starring Dorchester’s Ayo Edebiri — is slated for a Dec. 12 release, according to IMDB.
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