Nicholas Sparks is no stranger to writing romantic stories. He has penned more than 17 romance novels, including "The Notebook," "A Walk to Remember," "Message in a Bottle," "Dear John," "and more recently, "The Longest Ride." Most of his work have been adapted to the big screen, becoming huge blockbusters. Now, the author changes direction and is writing a sitcom about divorce.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC has commissioned Sparks to write and produce a new sitcom entitled "The Next Chapter." Reportedly, the sitcom will revolve around the main character Ben Diamond, a top-selling romance novelist who goes through a divorce. He begins to question his beliefs in love, learns to go through the whole process of dating again, and live with the public pressure of being a divorced romance king.
It can be noted that the story is a bit too autobiographical for Sparks, who also divorced his wife of 25 years just this January. Hopeless romantics saw the author's divorce as yet another devastating proof that true love exists only in books and movies. The upcoming sitcom might be a way for Sparks to veer away from his usual tear-jerker stories and instead explore the notion of love in a more realistic setting.
"The Next Chapter" is said to be co-created by Austin Winsberg, who is responsible for the hit teen series, "Gossip Girl." This would be Spark's first venture in scripted comedy, but not his first television project. THR reported that the author previously worked on "Deliverance Creek," a drama for Lifetime Channel that did not push through.
Currently, another one of his works, "The Notebook," is also in development as a TV reboot based on the book and the 2004 movie starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling.
