Message in a Bottle in 1999. Sparks sold the film rights to Warner Bros. in December 1998, months before the publication of the novel. The movie was directed by Adam Shankman and produced by Denise DiNovi and Hunt Lowry for Warner Bros.; the film premiered on January 25, 2002. The film, starring singer and actress Mandy Moore (Jamie) and Shane West (Landon), is set in the late 1990s. Sparks and the producer thought that because the film was suitable for teenagers "because of the message it provided," they had to make the adaptation more contemporary. References External links Official Nicholas Sparks website Fiction set in 1958 Fiction set in 1959 1999 American novels American novels adapted into films American romance novels American young adult novels Novels about cancer Carteret County, North Carolina Novels by Nicholas Sparks Novels set in North Carolina Novels set in the 1950s Warner Books books