Natalie Portman will star opposite Scott Cohen and Charlie Tahan in Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, an adaptation of an Ayelet Waldman novel by director Don Roos, who also wrote the script.

According to Variety, the story revolves around a young woman who finds the key to recovering her marriage in her relationship with her precocious stepson.

David Molner, managing director of Screen Capital Intl. 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."

The film will begin shooting in Manhattan on Nov. 10.