A number of cities and towns in the state this summer were abuzz when they played host to a Hollywood film production company. M. Night Shyamalan, the director of blockbuster films like “The Sixth Sense,” teamed up with New York Times-bestselling author Nicholas Sparks for a new supernatural romantic thriller, “Remain.” Shyamalan and Sparks created the original story together, with Sparks churning out the novel while Shyamalan wrote a screenplay and directed the film, which over the past couple months was filmed, in part, at numerous locations around Rhode Island.
Principal photography for “Remain” began on June 18, with locations that included the Coffee Depot in Warren, a ferry on Narragansett Bay, the closed Gray’s General Store in the village of Adamsville in Little Compton, Tavern on Main in Chepachet, and other sites from the downtown Providence to Newport. In early July, filming moved to the Cranston Street Armory, inside of which Blinding Edge Pictures, Shyamalan’s production company, built a soundstage. A purported monthly $10,000 fee was paid to lease the historic armory through November, and the facility could still be used for any reshoots that might be required. In August, the production shifted to the Bristol Town Common to film scenes of a music festival.
Without giving too much away, “Remain” centers around a New York architect named Tate Donovan, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, who has just gotten out of a psychiatric facility. He is trying to get on with his life while dealing with the death of his sister, who on her death bed revealed to him that seeing spirits is an ability that runs in the family. He then meets a woman, Wren, played by Phoebe Dynevor, who bears secrets of her own.
Actually, there’s not much more to tell. Shyamalan’s films are known for their twist endings, so prior to the film’s release, the director always maintains a high level of secrecy on his storylines. However, this did not stop curious Rhode Islanders from showing up at the public shoots to observe the filmmaking process or to try to get a peek at Jake Gyllenhaal.
Local filming has now wrapped, with “Remain” scheduled to be released by Warner Bros Pictures on October 23, 2026, but many Rhode Islanders will never forget the experience of being involved in filming a major Hollywood motion picture. One of those people is Chelsea Lumnah, co-owner of Tavern on Main.
“We didn’t know what movie it was when they first scouted our restaurant,” Chelsea says. “I just thought it was a ghost hunter movie until I heard sometime later that it was the movie “Remain,” with director M. Night Shyamalan.”
Chelsea and her boyfriend, Phil Zahlany, purchased the popular restaurant on Route 44 last year when Chelsea’s father, David Lumnah, who owned Tavern on Main for eighteen years, decided to retire.
“They wanted our entire staff to be in the movie, and we were in a scene the day they filmed at the restaurant,” Chelsea says. “The production team was very nice, and it was an all-around amazing opportunity that we are grateful to experience.”
Some readers may be surprised by the number of films that have been made in Rhode Island throughout the years, from “High Society” (1956) starring Grace Kelly and “The Great Gatsby” (1973) starring Robert Redford to more recent films such as “Hocus Pocus 2” (2022). We all appreciate the unique beauty and allure that Rhode Island has to offer, and Hollywood clearly has noticed as well.
According to Rhode Tour, a joint initiative of Rhode Island Humanities and the Rhode Island Historical Society, more than two-hundred feature films, forty television series, and thirty television movies have been filmed in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Film and Television Office counts sixty-two projects since 2005 alone. These numbers do not include film projects that include Rhode Island in its storyline like the film “Reversal of Fortune” (1990), and other projects that are not “filmed” like the animated television series “Family Guy.”
You may have to wait a year to see “Remain,” but you can visit Tavern on Main anytime. The restaurant is located at 1157 Putnam Pike in Chepachet. They are open Wednesdays and Thursdays 4 p.m.-8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 4 p.m. 8:30 p.m., and Sundays from 1 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Call Tavern on Main at 401-710-9788. You can find them online at https://tavernonmainri.com.
