Everything We Know About Good Fortune, Aziz Ansari's New Comedy With Keanu Reeves & Seth Rogen
Aziz Ansari is heading back to the director's chair to make his first feature film ... again! In case you forgot, Ansari was set to make his directorial debut with the film "Being Mortal," which was shut down following sexual harassment allegations lodged against the film's star, Bill Murray. It seemed as if the film-directing career of Ansari, who was also accused of sexual misconduct in 2018, was over before it even began. Then again, this is Hollywood, baby! Of course, Aziz Ansari, a seven-time Emmy nominee and two-time winner, is still getting the opportunity to make a high-profile comedy film with a star-studded cast!
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ansari is making his actual feature directorial debut with the film "Good Fortune." Not to be confused with Fortune Feimster's hilarious stand-up special of the same name, not much is known about "Good Fortune" outside of the fact Ansari is starring alongside Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves. The film is coming from Lionsgate, and as Motion Picture Group head Joe Drake told THR:
"We have indeed found good fortune with this film. We love the script and believe strongly in Aziz as both a performer and a director. And when you add in Seth and Keanu — two incredible world-class talents — toplining alongside Aziz, this has the potential to be a very special film for us. We moved quickly to land this project once it was available."
With all of that in mind, here's everything we know so far about "Good Fortune."
When we can expect to see Good Fortune
Making films takes time, but considering this is a comedy film and not an animated feature or a passion project from Richard Linklater that will span decades, "Good Fortune" should hopefully see a pretty standard turnaround time from principal photography to a theatrical debut. The project is slated to begin shooting in Los Angeles in May, and Lionsgate is anticipated to launch sales for the film during the Cannes Film Festival at the same time.
Post-production on a film typically takes anywhere between 10-20 weeks (excluding projects that require a ridiculous amount of visual effects work) so while it's not impossible that we could see "Good Fortune" toward the end of 2023, it's more likely that this will be released in 2024. Lionsgate has yet to specify whether or not this will be a comedy film for theaters, or if it will go direct-to-streaming. Given the caliber of the creative team, I'm thinking this one will go theatrical.
The creative team behind Good Fortune
Aziz Ansari is writing and directing "Good Fortune," which is being produced by Anthony Katagas ("Armageddon Time," "Amsterdam"), Alan Yang ("Loot," "Master of None"), and Ansari. Brady Fujikawa and Jon Humphrey are overseeing on behalf of the studio.
Ansari is starring alongside Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves, but the absence of an available plot means we're not sure just yet which actor will be the primary focus or if this will be an ensemble effort. Despite the fact Rogen was previously attached to Ansari's "Being Mortal" before the project was scrapped, "Good Fortune" is said to be a completely different project with an entirely new story.
We will update this article as more information becomes available.