Jeremy Renner replaces Steve Carell to join Julianne Moore and Al Pacino in Imagine

Things are really moving along for Dan Fogelman’s passion project, IMAGINE.

With a cast that recently added Al Pacino, Julianne Moore, and Jeremy Renner, Fogelman is certainly doing something right. Renner comes in for Carell, who was attached to star when the project was first announced.

The film centers on Pacino as, “An aging 1970s rock star who is still packing arenas and living a decadent life with a girlfriend way too young for him. On his 64th birthday, he discovers an undelivered letter written to his 19-year-old self from his hero John Lennon. He decides to straighten out, stop making a living off by “selling out” and playing old anthems, and rediscover the music he originally set out to make. He also tries to reconnect with the 40-year-old son he’s never known (Renner). He moves into a small New Jersey hotel and befriends the hotel’s manager (Moore). The rocker’s hope: that despite the rough journey, Lennon’s message that love is all that matters will ring true at the end.”

“Every writer has “that one project” … the one they feel so strongly about that they can’t bear to turn it over to anyone else. For me, that project is Imagine. It was a career highlight simply to get a script of mine into Al Pacino’s hands. To have him read it, and then want to star in it… it’s five steps past career highlight. And now, to have Julianne Moore and Jeremy join the fray… it’s beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve been hiding in my house for the past few weeks… out of fear that someone would pinch me. We are going to make a very special film here.”

Principal photography on IMAGINE will begin late April/early May 2013.