Aziz Ansari has long established himself as a respected comedian and a creative force on both sides of the camera, having starred in Parks and Recreation and Master of None – the latter of which he co-created with frequent collaborator Alan Yang while also contributing to the show’s writing and directing – with both shows being rightfully recognized amongst the best of this century, winning two Emmy’s for his writing on the latter.
With that being said, what has eluded Ansari thus far is officially releasing his first feature-length directorial effort. However, this is set to change on October 17th when Good Fortune releases, which Ansari has written, directed, and co-produced, bolstered by a strong cast that features some notable Canadian talent.
However, Good Fortune was not supposed to be Ansari’s feature film debut as a director, given that the ingenue had originally begun shooting another production, the comedy-drama Being Mortal, which he also wrote and produced and is based on the book of the same name by Atul Gawande. The production’s cast featured Ansari, his good friend Seth Rogen, the ever-talented Keke Palmer, and the mercurial Bill Murray, with principal photography beginning on March 22nd, 2022. However, on April 18th, exactly three weeks to the day after commencing the shoot, production was halted and then officially suspended on April 20th when a complaint was made against Murray for allegedly sexually harassing a much younger member of the crew. The issue was problematic enough that Ansari and his co-producer consequently failed to secure a financier and distributor for the film, leading Ansari to move on to another project, which would end up being Good Fortune.
Perhaps best described as Trading Places meets Freaky Friday, Good Fortune centers on a yet unnamed struggling man played by Ansari, who performs menial, debasing duties for his wealthy party boy employer, which includes anything “from fixing his pool to finding him a shaman for an ayahuasca journey”, with his troubles culminating in the man’s car being towed after he falls asleep in a Denny’s. The man’s struggles garner the attention of Gabriel, a so-called “budget guardian angel”, who tries to teach him that money is not the solution to problems that he thinks it is by body-swapping the man with his employer, Jeff. However, Gabriel would lose his wings because of this decision, as it backfired when the sudden wealth did, in fact, seem to solve the man’s problems, and so Gabriel is cast down to earth and forced to watch the consequences of his decision begin to unravel around him.
Seeking to avoid any further production complications, both moral and situational, Bill Murray was not asked to feature in this production, though it will see the return of Keke Palmer in an undisclosed role, while Seth Rogen will play Jeff, the wealthy employer of Ansari’s character. As Rogen has already played against type in a somewhat similar role that saw him portraying a wealthy capitalist in the 2023 biographical comedy-drama Dumb Money, this casting makes a lot of sense, and you can be sure he’ll get the chance to flex his comedic chops in a role that will see him embody Ansari’s own contrasting performance in ways that are sure to split sides.
By far the intriguing casting decision, though, is Keanu Reeves as the bumbling angel Gabriel. Reeves has become better known for his action roles in the latter part of his career, namely for playing the character of John Wick. However, he is by no means a stranger to the comedy genre, having starred in the cult classic Bill & Ted franchise, in addition to a much-loved cameo as himself in the 2019 comedy Always Be My Maybe. In quite the twist of irony, Reeves, who is known for doing a great deal of his own stunts on action movies, was seen with crutches and a brace on his left knee during principal photography for this comedy, having reportedly tripped in his trailer and landed on his knee, which he says would “crack like a potato chip” once it hit the floor, forcing him to shoot certain scenes at a later time once he had healed.
It’s also worth noting that another heavyweight Canadian thespian, none other than Sandra Oh, has also been cast in an undisclosed role, though it has been reported that the celebrated actress will play the angel that strips Gabriel of his wings.