Nicholas Sparks books are pretty much the be-all end-all of romantic book-to-film adaptations, and now that "The Lucky One" is out and has earned a respectable box office keep ($77 million worldwide on a reported $25 million budget), it's time to focus on the next. "Safe Haven," which is sure to yank on our heartstrings like so many have before, might have found its leading lady in "Footloose" star Julianne Hough, according to Variety.
"Safe Haven" is about a woman named Katie Feldman, who arrives to the small town of Southport, North Carolina, with a dark secret and tries to avoid relationships with the townsfolk until widower shopkeep Alex (Josh Duhamel) with two adorable little tykes wins her over and forces her to face her past.
"Dear John" alum Lasse Hallstrom will return to the Sparks legacy to direct "Safe Haven," as will producers Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen.
Hough, who made her big-screen debut in 2010's "Burlesque" (well, technically she made a cameo in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" back in 2001) and got her first real break with the "Footloose" re-boot, has been coming into her own in the biz lately. She'll next be seen in "Rock of Ages" with Tom Cruise and stars in Diablo Cody's directorial debut feature which is still as-yet-untitled.
Needless to say, we're routing for her and totally ready for this "Dancing With the Stars" pro and country singer to prove her dramatic chops.
