Relativity has picked up rights to Nicholas Sparks' best-selling romantic drama novel The Best of Me.

The story centers on high-school sweethearts Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole. Twenty five years after they graduate, the pair of ex-lovers find themselves back in their hometown for the funeral of their mentor Tuck Hostetler. Tuck leaves a set of instructions to follow and they end up realizing that everything they thought they knew about themselves was not as it seemed.

Michael Hoffman is directing from a script by J. Mills Goodloe and Will Fetters. The director is currently re-writing that first draft.

The studio has worked with the author in the past, bringing his romantic dramas Safe Haven and Dear John to the big screen. Both project brought in over $200 million worldwide. No production schedule has been released.