Charlie St. Cloud , published in by Bantam Books. The story is about Charlie St. Cloud's choice between keeping a promise he made to his younger brother, who died in a car accident, or going after the girl he loves. In some markets the film used the complete title of the book.
After winning the rights to adapt the book into film, Universal Pictures had James Schamus and Lewis Colick write drafts for the script, with Craig Pearce writing the final script, and director Steers helping to polish it for completion. Filming lasted from July to late October , with much of it occurring in upstate New York's forest and Gibsons ' coastal pier.
Cloud was theatrically released in the United States on July 30, to negative reviews, with many criticizing the script's tonal confliction and Efron's performance. Cloud, with his younger brother Sam, wins a boating race on his sailboat Splendid Splinter , subsequently receiving a sailing scholarship to Stanford University.
He graduates from Winslow High School and after graduation, Charlie promises Sam they will practice baseball every day until he leaves for Stanford. That night, Charlie wants to attend a graduation party with his friends, but his mother makes him babysit Sam. Charlie tries sneaking out to the party, but Sam catches him and asks for a ride to his friend Tommy's house. While on the road, Charlie reassures him that his departure will not be like their father's abandonment.
The car later gets rear-ended by a SUV , pushing them into an intersection where they are T-boned by a wheeler , killing Sam. During an out-of-body experience , Charlie hugs and reassures Sam, promising not to leave him.
