You’d think losing a lead like James McAvoy would be a deal breaker, but replace him with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and it’s like nothing ever happened. It doesn’t hurt that regardless of who takes the lead in Summit Entertainment’s comedy, formerly known as I’m With Cancer, will star alongside Seth Rogen and have a supporting cast including Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall.

According to MTV, McAvoy had to ditch the project due to personal reasons. Gordon-Levitt assumes his role of Adam, a 25-year-old diagnosed with cancer. Rogen calls the film “a very personal story, about what happened to our friend for the most part.” That friend is screenwriter Will Reiser, who won his battle.

Thrilled with his new co-star, Rogen said, “It’s incredibly unfortunate that circumstances outside of everyone’s control have taken James away from the project, but, with James’s blessing, we were able to have Joseph step in to take on the role of Adam. We all look forward to working with James in the future.” Director Jonathan Levine expressed a similar sentiment, “I feel extremely lucky that our film has found an exceptional actor to step into the role of Adam. I have admired Joseph’s work since Brick, and I am so excited to work with him.”

It’s no surprise that Gordon-Levitt will be met with open arms when he arrives in Vancouver for shooting on March 8th. This project is particularly special to Rogen and, of course, Reiser. They’ve been banking on McAvoy leading the cast since last August, so having such a significant shake up so close to the production’s start date must have been off-putting. Well, problem quashed and now we can look forward to watching this film develop as shooting progresses.

By Perri Nemiroff