Bryce Dallas Howard Joins Seth Rogen’s Untitled Cancer Dramedy; Summit Will Distribute
Writing about films that don’t have a real title can be confusing, so I’ll attempt to make this clear.I’m With Cancerwas once the title of a comedy / drama that will starSeth Rogen,James McAvoyandAnna Kendrick. That title has been abandoned for some time, so for the time being it’s just theSeth Rogen Untitled Cancer Dramedy, which isn’t really the way to pull in an audience. Neither is I’m With Cancer, I agree, but what do you call a sorta-comedy inspired by the screenwriter’s real battle with cancer?
Varietyhas new info on the film, with the most notable bit being thatBryce Dallas Howardhas joined the cast.We’ve known for a whilethatThe WacknessdirectorJonathan Levinewould be handling directing duties. He replaced Nicole Holofcener. We also know now that Summit will release the film, though we do not yet have a date. The shoot begins later this month in Vancouver.
Here’s the synopsis, from a past press release:
McAvoy stars as a 25-year-old who learns he has cancer, a character based on the real experiences of screenwriter Will Reiser who was diagnosed with cancer in his mid-20s and successfully battled the disease over several years.
The notion of a cancer comedy may seem outlandish, but rememberAmerican Splendor, the film that was part adaptation ofHarvey Pekar’s graphic novelOur Cancer Yearand part biopic of Pekar. That film managed to blend comedy and deadly serious subject matter quite well, thanks in large part to the dogged, emotional performance from Paul Giamatti. If this film can manage the effective depth ofAmerican Splendor, it could be a good piece of work.
