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Doughtie gave his script the working title Letters to God, not knowing that two years later he would find two real letters his son had addressed to God.

With the screenplay finished, Doughtie met Nixon through a mutual friend in 2007.

Nixon liked the story but wanted to make it more hopeful. So he brought on screenwriter Sandra Thrift, who revised the script to introduce the role of Brady, the mail carrier.

The producers began the work of casting, sending invitations to "emerging actors" who would command affordable salaries. Tanner Maguire, an 11-year-old actor, was an early choice to play Tyler.

Tanner, who starred in the 2007 film Saving Sarah Cain,  jumped at the role. "Tyler had a lot of hope and faith," he says, "and if just one family going through this could be touched by the faith and feel it, that would be such an amazing experience for me."

In Tanner's favorite scene, his character plays soccer—something his cancer has limited him from doing. "He makes this huge save, saving the game," Tanner said.

Tyler (Maguire) and postman Brady (Jeffrey S.S. Johnson).

Most of the film's shooting is taking in Winter Garden, 15 miles west of Orlando. The city's tree-lined streets lent a "Rockwellian Americana" feel to the set, Nixon said.

From there, shooting moved to Give Kids the World, a whimsical village in nearby Kissimmee that hosts terminally ill children and their families while they vacation in Orlando.

For Doughtie and his wife, Heather (Tyler's stepmother), who have two other children, shooting at the charity unearthed bittersweet memories. The family visited Give Kids the World with Tyler in July 2004, shortly after his cancer returned.

On the day the cast shot the final scenes of the film, someone led the Doughtie family into the Castle of Miracles, a Give Kids the World landmark. Thousands of gold stars festooned the castle's ceiling and beams, each engraved with the name of a small visitor.

"They wanted me to look for his star," Doughtie said. "I think that was the most emotional time. It was special."

Next to the castle at Give Kids the World, the Enchanted Carousel sprouts from the ground, wrapped in vines and topped with a giant mushroom. In front of the carousel on a recent morning, the cast was shooting the final scenes of the movie.

Electrical cords snaked across the ground. Crew members sat under oversized mushrooms to escape the triple-digit heat. Nearby, prop carts were stuffed with stethoscopes, a giant pair of scissors, and teddy bears dressed in Give Kids the World T-shirts. Bald-headed children strolled by in the background—some of the 20 real-life Give Kids the World residents who were cast as extras.

"Copy. Marker. Set. Background," a crew member called out. A clapboard snapped shut.

Michael Bolten (left) with Bailee Madison and Tanner Maguire

Michael Bolten, who plays Tyler's older brother Ben in the film, pushed Tanner forward in a wheelchair; Tanner had a grin on his face and a blue handkerchief tied around his shaven head. Both boys scooped ice cream into their mouths as they approached Miss Pamela, whose character in the movie works at Give Kids the World.

After they greeted each other, the character Tyler handed Miss Pamela a letter. "That doesn't look like an ordinary letter," she said. "I'll find a special mailbox." "Any mailbox will do," Tyler replied.

"Are you going to be at the talent show tonight?" she asked Tyler. "Yeah, and Ben's singing," Tyler replied. The two boys good-naturedly fought over who would perform, and they exited the scene.

"Cut," someone called out. It was the fifth take so far.

The equipment on set appeared to match the quality of those on any Hollywood set. Nixon and Dawson insisted on it; they want Letters to feature high production values, and they hope it will appeal to a wide audience—not just a Christian niche market.

"Six billion people on this planet are prospects for this film," executive producer Tom Swanson said at a producers' roundtable, referring to the wide-ranging nature of cancer.

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