Having met a grisly fate in Spider-Man 3, Goblin 2 James Franco is moving on to more dramatic roles. He has recently been cast opposite Diane Lane (Hollywoodland) and Richard Gere in Nights in Rodanthe, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

If Franco’s kitchen dancing scene from Spider-Man 3 (a la The Big Chill) is any indicator, he could have the charm and candor to pull of this romantic comedy adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. The script penned by Ken Hixon and Ann Peacock follows a doctor (Gere) who stops at an inn in North Carolina while traveling to reconcile with his estranged son when he has a life-changing romance with an unhappily married woman (Lane). Yep, sounds like rom-com.

Christopher Meloni plays Lane’s husband and Franco is Gere’s son. The film is being produced by Denise Di Novi and backed by Warner Bros. Pictures.