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.

Emma Didbin is a writer and journalist who has contributed to GamesRadar+, 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.