Aziz Ansari still hopes to finish scrapped Bill Murray movie Being Mortal: It 'means a lot to all...

The actor makes his feature directorial debut this weekend in &34;Good Fortune,&34; starring Keanu Reeves. Aziz Ansari still hopes to finish scrapped Bill Murra

The actor makes his feature directorial debut this weekend in "Good Fortune," starring Keanu Reeves.

Aziz Ansari still hopes to finish scrapped Bill Murray movie Being Mortal: It 'means a lot to all of us'

The actor makes his feature directorial debut this weekend in "Good Fortune," starring Keanu Reeves.

By Jessica Wang

Jessica Wang

Jessica Wang is a staff writer at **. Her work has appeared in Bustle, Nylon, Cosmopolitan, and more.

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October 18, 2025 10:30 a.m. ET

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Aziz Ansari; Bill Murray. Credit:

Joe Russo/Variety/Penske Media via Getty; Matthias Nareyek/WireImage

- Aziz Ansari was attached to make his directorial feature debut with *Being Mortal,* an adaptation of Atul Gawande's 2014 book.

- Searchlight nixed production following an investigation into star Bill Murray, who was accused of unwanted kissing by a female staffer.

- Ansari reveals he still hopes to salvage the film one day, stating that the crew is "really proud" of the work.

Aziz Ansari still hopes to finish *Being Mortal*, the comedy-drama film that would've marked his directorial debut had it not been scrapped in 2022 following an internal complaint and investigation into star Bill Murray.

"At some point, it'd be great to finish it," Ansari tells ** while promoting *Good Fortune*, the film that did ultimately become his first outing as director. "I have some of the stuff edited. There's so much stuff in it that we're all really proud of."

An adaptation of Atul Gawande's 2014 book *Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End*, the film was also set to star Keke Palmer and Seth Rogen. "I think we just have to wait and see," Ansari added, noting that he has "a bunch" of projects he'd love to turn his attention to, including a science fiction movie.

"I'm not sure what I'm gonna do next," Ansari said. "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."

Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, and Aziz Ansari in Ansari's new film 'Good Fortune'.

Searchlight, the studio behind the film, suspended production in 2022 following an investigation into allegations that Murray had kissed and "straddled" a young female staffer. The two reportedly reached a settlement that led to the eventual cancellation of the film.

Murray addressed the incident earlier this year, stating that his actions were done in jest. "It was Covid, we were all wearing masks and we were all stranded in this one room listening to this crazy scene," he told *The New York Times*. "I dunno what prompted me to do it. It's something that I had done to someone else before, and I thought it was funny, and every time it happened, it was funny."

"I was wearing a mask, and I gave her a kiss, and she was wearing a mask," he said. "It wasn't like I touched her, but it was just, I gave her a kiss through a mask. And she wasn't a stranger."**

Keke Palmer wants Aziz Ansari to salvage 'Being Mortal' following Bill Murray complaint

Aziz Ansari didn't want Keanu Reeves to 'look like Gisele Bündchen' with his 'Good Fortune' angel wings

He called the fallout "a great disappointment." "Because I thought I knew someone, and I did not," Murray added. "I certainly thought it was light. I thought it was funny. To me, it's still funny, the idea that you could give someone a kiss with a mask on. It's still stupid. It's all it was."**

Aziz Ansari and Keke Palmer in 'Good Fortune'.

Courtesy Lionsgate

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Suspension of production, though, opened the gates for Ansari to develop what would become* Good Fortune*, an all-star comedy about an inept but well-meaning guardian angel, Gabriel (Keanu Reeves), who takes it upon himself to meddle in the lives of struggling gig worker Arj (played by Ansari, who in addition to directing the feature, also wrote the screenplay) and wealthy venture capitalist Jeff.

Rogen plays Jeff, while Palmer plays Elena, a coworker and love interest of Arj's, marking a *Being Mortal *reunion in a comedy that tackles economic inequity and the housing crisis. To prepare for the film, Ansari spoke at length with union organizers and even worked in food delivery to ensure authentic storytelling. "The last thing I want is for someone to watch this and roll their eyes at the portrayal of what [Arj is] going through," he says.

Ansari still can't believe he managed to bag Reeves for the lead role. "He's so iconic, and I so had his voice in my head just from seeing him in all these movies: *Bill and Ted, Parenthood*," Ansari says. "He's really funny when he is playing these guys that are kind of naive and maybe a little dumb, but always coded in this incredibly sweet innocence and lovability."

*Good Fortune* is in theaters Friday.

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