Why can’t everything just go right with Seth Rogen movies anymore? Superbad and Knocked Up made him the golden boy of Hollywood, but recently things have been rockier. First Observe and Report and Funny People underperformed at the box office, and then his superhero project The Green Hornet was struck by defections from director Steven Chow and potential villain Nicolas Cage. Rogen rolled with the punches, though, landing Michel Gondry and Christoph Waltz to replace the turncoats, plus a handsome Kato for good measure. And now he continues his heroic perseverance in the face of doubt on his latest project, the untitled dramedy previously known as I’m With Cancer.
Rogen is co-starring alongside James McAvoy (who’s playing a 25-year-old diagnosed with cancer) as well as producing the movie, and had landed Nicole Holofcener (Lovely & Amazing) to direct. Until November, that is, when Holofcener callously dropped out, supposedly owing to “location issues.†But Rogen has managed to shrug off this latest betrayal, too: It was announced yesterday that Jonathan Levine, of well-received coming-of-age movie and weed comedy The Wackness, will helm the production. Even better, inevitable Oscar winner Anna Kendrick is newly on board also, playing a young psychologist treating McAvoy’s character. Rogen’s back on track! Now the only thing left is for his movies to start making tons of money again.
Anna Kendrick joins cancer movie [Reuters]