Benjamin Walker Portrait - P 2014
AP ImagesBenjamin Walker has been tapped to play the male lead in The Choice, Lionsgate’s adaptation of the 2007 novel by Nicholas Sparks.
The feature project is the first of Sparks’ adaptations to come out of his Nicholas Sparks Productions, where the author spent time and money developing it before setting it up.
Sparks and Theresa Park are partnering with Peter Safran to produce and finance the film.
The story centers on a couple, Travis Parker and Gabby Holland, who first meet as neighbors in a small coastal town, and charts their ups and down over a decade as their love is tested by life events.
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Bryan Sipe wrote the script. Ross Katz (Adult Beginners) is directing.
Jason Constantine, Lionsgate’s president of acquisitions and co-productions, and Eda Kowan, the company’s executive vp acquisitions and co-productions, will oversee the project for the studio.
Walker, repped by WME and Inspire Entertainment, may be best known for starring in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. He will next be seen opposite Chris Hemsworth in Ron Howard’s adventure movie Heart of the Sea.
The next Sparks adaptation is The Best of Me, which hits theaters Oct. 17.