Aziz Ansari To Make Directorial Debut With Lionsgate, Seth Rogen And Keanu Reeves

Aziz Ansari will make his feature directorial debut with Lionsgate’s Good Fortune. Ansari is also set to write and star alongside Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen in the film. Lionsgate will launch sales on the film at Cannes. The filming is also set to commence next month in Los Angeles.

The plot of the film has been kept under wraps. However, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair, Joe Drake, said, “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.”

Good Fortune is produced by Anthony Katagas, Alan Yang, and Ansari. Brady Fujikawa and Jon Humphrey, Dan Freedman, Phil Strina, John Biondo and Matt Leonetti have also been involved with the film and the deal with Lionsgate.

Ansari is an Emmy-winning writer, actor and comedian, possibly best known for his Netflix
NFLX
show Master of None and as Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation. Ansari was accused of sexual misconduct in 2018 in a Babe.net article, leading to widespread discussions on the power of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood. Since 2018, the comedian has appeared on his own show, Master of None, and lent his voice to a character on Bob’s Burgers. He has also released two Netflix comedy specials, 2019’s Right Now and 2022’s Nightclub Comedian.

Ansari was set to make his directorial debut in 2022 with a dramedy film based on the non-fiction book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by surgeon Atul Gawande. The film was set to star Rogen, Keke Palmer and Bill Murray; however, in April 2022, production of the film was halted due to a complaint of inappropriate behavior by Murray on set.

Reeves has a history with Lionsgate. He stars in Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4, which has made $350M at the global box office. He is also set to reprise his role as Wick in Lionsgate’s Ballerina.

Rogen is also currently starring in a box office mega-hit, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where he voices Donkey Kong. The film is closing in on a billion dollars at the global box office.