Cancer is funny, funny, funny, so it’s a surprise that more comedies aren’t made about it. Well actually no, cancer’s not funny at all, but that isn’t going to stop Hollywood having a go at trying to see the humorous side of the disease. It been announced that James McAvoy is joining the adaptation of Will Reiser’s book, I’m With Cancer, which is due to co-star (and be produced by) Seth Rogen and directed by Nicole Holofcener (Friends With Money).
Things have been surprisingly quiet for McAvoy over the last year. Many expected him to sign up for lots of big projects and turn himself into a major a-list star after the success of last year’s Wanted, but this is actually the first proper Hollywood movie he’s agreed to do since then. The Scottish star is due to play the main character, based on Will Reiser himself (although not called Reiser), who learns he has cancer in his mid-20s and spends several years battling the disease.
While making comedy out of cancer would seem to be a toughy, Reiser’s book has been praised for its mix of real drama and its ability to see the funny side of such a serious situation, and the fact it’s partially based on a true story certainly make the humour angle easier to swallow.
The movie is currently due to start filming next January, once Rogen has wrapped on The Green Hornet.