In the making of Aziz Ansari's directorial debut, things definitely didn't go as planned. The film, titled Being Mortal (based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Atul Gawande), went into production in March 2022, but filming was halted a few weeks in due to the investigation of a complaint against star Bill Murray. In the following months, Murray spoke out about the controversy, but it was announced by Searchlight Pictures earlier this year that the movie was cancelled. This was obviously a big career blow to Ansari, but he's now set to get back up on the metaphorical horse – set to helm a brand new project that has Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves attached to play leading roles.
According to Variety, the new comedy is titled Good Fortune... though that is presently pretty much all we know about it, as plot details are being kept a secret. Ansari is set to wear many hats in the making of the movie, as he will not only be directing, but also writing the script and co-starring. As you probably could have guessed, there isn't any information available about the roles that Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves will be playing.
Good Fortune will mark a reunion for Aziz Ansari and Rogen, as the Fabelmans actor had a leading role in Being Mortal opposite Bill Murray and Keke Palmer. As actors, the two men have shared credits in Jody Hill's Observe And Report, Judd Apatow's Funny People, and Rogen's own directorial debut This Is The End (which he helmed in collaboration with Evan Goldberg).
In complete contrast, this will be Keanu Reeves first time working with both Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen. This is a side-effect of the John Wick: Chapter 4 star not doing a lot of comedies – but he is far from a neophyte when it comes to funny movies. After all, we are now just a few years removed from his reprisal as Ted "Theodore" Logan in Dean Parisot's Bill And Ted Face The Music, and he is hilarious playing himself in Nahnatchka Khan's Always Be My Maybe (which arrived on Netflix in 2019):
Good Fortune is evidently moving very quickly through the stages of production, as Lionsgate has picked up the rights to the movie and filming is expected to begin in Los Angeles in May. As more is reported about the project, hopefully we'll get a better sense of what to expect from it plot-wise.
If you're curious about Aziz Ansari's skills as a director, he helmed 11 episodes of Master Of None, which he co-created with Alan Yang (and is available to stream with a Netflix subscription). For those of you who need a Keanu Reeves fix immediately, John Wick: Chapter 4 is still kicking a lot of ass in theaters, and as for Seth Rogen, he voices Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is presently dominating the box office.
Given how soon production on Good Fortune will begin, it theoretically won't be long until it's released, and in the meantime you can plan your next trip to the theater with our 2023 Movie Release Calendar.
