Nicholas Sparks fans, you know the drill. It's that time of year again. Yet another of the author's heart-tugging romance books - the recently released "Best of Me" -- has been optioned to be turned into a film.

Are production companies following Sparks' every move at this point, just hoping he'll drop a cocktail napkin with the seeds of another "Notebook" smudged under whiskey stains? The pace at which "Best of Me," got snapped up certainly suggests it. Sparks released his newest novel just eight weeks ago, and word comes today from Warner Bros. that the company apparently bought the rights to the film before even one word of the book was written.

Now on sale, "The Best Of Me" tells the love story of Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole, two North Carolina teens from opposite sides of the tracks who were deeply devoted, but forced apart the summer of their senior year. But distance can't snuff out their romance. 25 years later each returns to their hometown to attend the funeral of a much-admired teacher. While the old lovers initially try to ignore their still burning desire for each other, their teacher's last request spurs them to discover some secrets of their past that could unite them again.

Adapting Sparks' books into movies now seems like a foregone conclusion. Obviously, the movie versions of his novels have been mostly successful, in some cases extraordinarily so -- "Message in a Bottle," "A Walk to Remember," "Nights in Rodanthe," "Dear John," "The Last Song." The films have modest budgets compared to the rest of Hollywood, beefcakey male stars in the leading roles, and ooze the kind of romantic melodrama that turns theaters into one giant tear-stained Oprah couch.

According to Deadline, Michael Hoffman is in talks to direct "The Best Of Me," and Will Fetters, who adapted the Sparks novel "Lucky One," is currently being courted to do a rewrite. Denise DiNovi is producing with Sparks, and Theresa Park is co-producer. Hoffman most recently helmed a remake of "The Gambit" starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz.

Warner Bros. apparently originally hired J. Mills Goodloe ("Pride") to write the script, after it acquired the novel long before it was published by Grand Central. The production company reportedly bought the novel in a summer 2011 meeting with Sparks based on Sparks' pitch alone for the novel; the writer had yet to write a word of the book, according to Deadline.

Currently, there's no word from Warner Bros. on who will star, but with past leads like Zac Efron, and Channing Tatum, we'd bet our money its some bulky hearthrob with a wild streak who just needs the right woman to turn him around. 

"The Best of Me" is currently in development. Sparks' book of the same title currently sits in the number eight slot on the New York Times bestseller list, and is available now.