Production Suspended On Bill Murray And Aziz Ansari Movie Being Mortal

Aziz Ansari's feature film directing debut, "Being Mortal," is hitting the brakes. Searchlight Pictures has formally suspended filming on the comedy-drama, citing a complaint that was filed last week.

"After reviewing the circumstances, it has been decided that production cannot continue at this time," wrote the studio in a letter issued to the "Being Mortal" cast and crew. "We are truly grateful to all of you for everything you've put into this project," it added.

In addition to directing and writing, Ansari is starring in "Being Mortal" opposite Bill Murray, Seth Rogen, and Keke Palmer. The "Parks and Recreation" and "Master of None" veteran infamously found himself at the center of a sexual misconduct scandal in 2018, leading him to take a break from acting. That being said, sources for Deadline state the complaint was neither made against Ansari nor Covid-related, adding that Ansari and his producing partner, Youree Henley, are working closely with Searchlight to figure out the next step forward.

The full letter issued by Searchlight reads as follows:

Dear Being Mortal Cast and Crew,

We know you are all concerned about the recent delays in production and want to give you an update.

Late last week, we were made aware of a complaint, and we immediately looked into it. After reviewing the circumstances, it has been decided that production cannot continue at this time.

We are truly grateful to all of you for everything you've put into this project. Our hope is to resume production and are working with Aziz and Youree to figure out that timing.

Production will be in touch with you to share details on the wrap, and we will let you know as soon as we have more information to share.

Searchlight Pictures

"Being Mortal" is based on Atul Gawande's "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End," a non-fiction book that "explores the varieties of hospice care to demonstrate that a person's last weeks or months may be rich and dignified." Production began on March 28, 2022, and was reportedly already half-way done prior to halting ahead of an intended release in 2023. For now, though, it's unclear how this suspension will impact Searchlight's distribution plans (if at all).

In the meantime, Searchlight is gearing up to debut several films on Hulu over the coming months, including Andrew Ahn's "Fire Island" and Sophie Hyde's "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande." On the theatrical side, the studio has Martin McDonagh's "The Banshees of Inisherin" opening in a limited theatrical release on October 21, 2022, followed by Mark Mylod's dark comedy "The Menu" a month later on November 18, 2022. Searchlight also has Taika Waititi's sports dramedy "Next Goal Wins" waiting in the wings after wrapping reshoots that saw Will Arnett replace Armie Hammer in the cast.