Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is set to star with Scott Cohen and Charlie Tahan in Love and Other Impossible Pursuits,” a Don Roos directed adaptation of an Ayelet Waldman novel.

The film is produced by Marc Platt, the film will begin shooting in Manhattan on November 10. Roos wrote the script.

The film revolves around a young woman who finds the key to recovering her marriage in her relationship with her precocious stepson.

The project becomes the first film funded by Incentive Filmed Entertainment. The financing entity was unveiled by William Morris at the Cannes Film Festival, with 100 million dollar in production financing and a plan to fund films with budgets fewer than 15 million. Incentive then licenses rights to both foreign and domestic distributors.

Portman recently wrote and directed Eve, a short film that starred Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara and Olivia Thirlby.

David Molner, managing director of Screen Capital International and chairman of Incentive Filmed Entertainment, said Portman’s deal salvages a film that was imperiled when Jennifer Lopez abruptly dropped out.

“We were left in the lurch by one actress and rescued by another,” Molner said. “It goes to show that, particularlywith independent features, nothing is more important than the talent. It’s a blessing that Natalie loved the script and now we’ve got a strong film that we can sell at AFM.”

Platt just produced Jonathan Demme’s directed Rachel Getting Married is in production on the Rob Marshall directed Nine for the Weinstein Co. and Relatively. Platt executive produced Roos’ most recent film, “Happy Endings,” and as Orion’s productions head, supervised Roos’ first film as a writer, the 1992 drama “Love Field.” Platt gave the Waldman book to Roos and lobbied him to direct after Roos turned in a strong adaptation.

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