Both Katherine Heigl and the guy who directed Hitch (Andy Tennant) have backed out of the supernatural romance Adaline, and people are acting like that’s a bad thing for some reason. The project’s prospects have looked bleak following their departures, but producers have decided that a romantic film CAN be made without Katherine Heigl‘s involvement, so they decided not to scrap the entire project on her account.

The powers that be behind this film apparently like the way Will Smith is given direction, because they now have their eyes on the helmer of The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds, Gabriele Muccino. Adaline’s tearjerker premise could mesh well with the man behind the heavy Will Smith films. The film centers on a woman who stops aging after an accident, but considers shedding her immortality after falling in love. Breezy!

While Muccino hasn’t tipped his hand as to whether he’s interested in the gig, producers are sticking to a shooting schedule that begins in January, so they’ll probably just pick up James Franco to star as the female lead, just to keep things moving along. (Playlist)