Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, “Good Fortune,” is now in theaters. Lionsgate is handling distribution; the cast includes Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, and Sandra Oh. Reviews have been decent (63 on Metacritic), but at least Ansari got to shoot and complete this film.
You see, the narrative was that Ansari had officially moved on from the ill-fated “Being Mortal,” a project that would remain unfinished, buried, with zero signs it would ever see completion.
Well, apparently, he’s still thinking about it.
“At some point, it’d be great to finish it. I have some of the stuff edited. There’s so much stuff in it that we’re all really proud of,” he now tells EW. “I’m not sure what I’m gonna do next. But I would love to finish that. The project is something that means a lot to all of us, and it definitely comes up. Maybe there’s a world where we’ll finish it at some point.”
How exactly would that work? Bill Murray would have to return, and last I checked, his co-star, Keke Palmer, had subtly called him out on social media just days after reports came out about the incident.
Production on Ansari’s “Being Mortal” began in March 2022 in Los Angeles. Then, three weeks later, on April 20, the shoot was derailed when Searchlight received a complaint from an actress about “inappropriate behavior” on the part of its star, Murray.
Murray allegedly kissed and straddled a female crew member. He called the incident a “difference of opinion,” explaining, “I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way.”
The film was halfway done. There was word that Ansari’s agents were shopping the film around at the Cannes market, but to no avail. It turned out Searchlight didn’t want to restart production, either.
So that’s where things stand. “Being Mortal” is in limbo. Ansari’s career, however, is still very much alive, and “Good Fortune” may just revive it — although its $6 million opening weekend will no doubt give Searchlight some pause about wanting to revive “Being Mortal.”