James Marsden jokes about a potential spinoff to The Notebook following his character Lon. The film, which was an adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, premiered on June 25, 2004. It followed the love story between Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) in South Carolina in the 1940s. The film was a success, earning back nearly four times its budget at the worldwide box office, and ending up at #32 on the domestic chart for the year, ahead of other popular films of the time like Steven Spielberg's The Terminal.
In the film, Marsden, who was fresh off his role as Cyclops in X2: X-Men United, plays the third figure in the love triangle at the center of the film. Although Noah and Allie are destined to be together, Noah is just a poor mill worker and Allie's rich parents refuse to let them be together. She and Noah are then separated for years, during which time she gets engaged to Marsden's character, Captain Lon Hammond Jr., who she met while volunteering as a nurse during World War II. Before her wedding, Allie meets up with Noah again and they consummate a passionate affair that forces her to break it off with Lon.
Screen Rant had the opportunity to attend the premiere for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which is opening in theaters on April 8, 2022. At the event, Marsden spoke about the potential for a Notebook spinoff following Lon. He says that "I feel like he's got a good head on his shoulders. I think he's doing well."
Read his full quote below:
We should get a Notebook sequel. How's that gonna work?
What is he doing? I feel like he's doing well. I feel like he's got a good head on his shoulders. I think he's doing well. We'll have to see, a Lon spin-off.
Lon obviously isn't the main character in The Notebook, and neither the movie nor the book are particularly interested in following his story beyond the breakup with Allie. However, he is one of the more worthy potential alternative partners from any major cinematic love triangle of the decade. Following his story might seem strange, but he has the ability to be an interesting lead character in his own right.
While a spinoff to The Notebook might seem like a far-fetched idea, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Many romance novels become out-and-out series by following the future romantic travails of side characters. In fact, the wildly popular Netflix Regency romance series Bridgerton, which is adapted from the Julia Quinn novels of the same name, follows a different romantic lead each season, so this could absolutely become the next realm of content for Nicholas Sparks to move into.