Good Fortune | |
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Directed by | Aziz Ansari |
Written by | Aziz Ansari |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Adam Newport-Berra |
Production company | Oh Brudder Productions |
Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Good Fortune is an upcoming American comedy film written and directed by Aziz Ansari, in his feature film directorial debut. Keanu Reeves stars alongside Ansari, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh. It is produced by Oh Brudder Productions and is set for theatrical release by distributor Lionsgate Films.
Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) is the "literal guardian angel" for a man down on his luck (Aziz Ansari), who does odd jobs for a wealthy socialite named Jeff (Seth Rogen). One day, he falls asleep in a booth at a Denny's restaurant, and hits rock-bottom after subsequently having his car towed from their parking lot. Intervening in his plight, Gabriel tries to convince the man that being wealthy like Jeff would not solve his problems by swapping the two men's lives. Failing at this demonstration as the man's problems are solved by Jeff's wealth, Gabriel loses his wings and the man takes over Jeff's body and livelihood. Gabriel then becomes roommates with the displaced Jeff whilst the work he did as an angel begins to unravel around them. [1]
After the suspension of his previous project Being Mortal at Searchlight Pictures due to star Bill Murray's alleged inappropriate behavior, Aziz Ansari moved forward with his next planned production, Good Fortune. [4] The project was officially announced in April 2023 to be produced by Anthony Katagas, Alan Yang, and Ansari for Lionsgate with Ansari also acting as writer, director and co-star. [4] Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen were revealed to have joined the cast in April 2023. [5]
Principal photography was expected to start on May 16, 2023, in Los Angeles, [6] [7] but was delayed indefinitely due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. [8] [9] In November 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported the production was aiming to restart in early 2024. [10] In January 2024, Keke Palmer revealed in an Instagram post that filming with Ansari, Rogen, and Reeves had begun. [11] [12] Other sources further confirmed her casting. [13] [2]
Two weeks into shooting, photos of Reeves on set with crutches and an ice pack on his left knee circulated online. [14] At the time, it was unclear if the medical aids were worn for his role or for the treatment of an actual injury. [12] The viral images prompted some websites to report uncertainty surrounding the actor's health. [15] [16] Days later, Reeves was seen standing on set without assistance. [17] In an interview during his panel at the 2024 CinemaCon, Ansari addressed the media attention, noting that the hashtag #GetWellSoonKeanu had trended in response to the photos. [1] He clarified that Reeves had fractured his knee during filming, noting the actor had tripped on a rug while inside his trailer, but continued to shoot the majority of the rest of the film despite being injured. [1] Reeves later clarified on an episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he fell while he was shuffling quickly out of a cold plunge, and that he "spiked" his knee on the ground after catching his foot, cracking his patella "like a potato chip". [18]
The majority of filming wrapped by the time that Reeves's subsequent project, Outcome began principal photography on March 20, [19] with Ansari noting that only scenes for a salsa dancing sequence with Reeves were left to shoot at a later date after the actor fully recovered from his earlier injury. [14] On April 5, it was reported that Sandra Oh had joined the cast. [3]
Aziz Ansari attended the 2024 CinemaCon to promote the film for Lionsgate, revealing his creative processes and plot details for the project, and showed attendees a closed-doors look at a trailer for the film. [1] /Film's Ryan Scott likened the body-swapping element showcased to " Trading Places (1983) by way of Scrooged (1988)". [20] Writing for Deadline , Anthony D'Alessandro and Nancy Tartaglione observed, "It looks hysterical and received a ton of laughs". [21]
Good Fortune is scheduled to be released theatrically by Lionsgate in the United States. [8]
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor and musician. He is the recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades. In 2020, The New York Times ranked him as the fourth-greatest actor of the 21st century, and in 2022 Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Reeves is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public image, and his philanthropic efforts.
Seth Aaron Rogen is a Canadian actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series Freaks and Geeks in 1999, and got a part on Apatow's sitcom Undeclared in 2001, which also hired him as a writer. Rogen landed a job as a staff writer on the final season of Da Ali G Show (2004), for which the writing team was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. Apatow subsequently guided him toward a film career.
Aziz Ismail Ansari is an American actor, filmmaker and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series Parks and Recreation (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series Master of None (2015–2021) for which he won several acting and writing awards, including two Emmys and a Golden Globe, which was the first award received by an Asian American actor for acting on television.
Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer is an American actress, singer, television host, and author. She is known for playing both leading and character roles in comedy and drama productions. Palmer has received several accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and five NAACP Image Awards, along with nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Time magazine included her on their list of most influential people in the world in 2019.
Alan Michael Yang is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He was a writer and producer for the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, for which he received his first Emmy nomination. With Aziz Ansari, Yang co-created the Netflix series Master of None, which premiered in 2015 to critical acclaim. The series was awarded a Peabody Award, and at the 68th Emmy Awards in 2016, Yang and Ansari won for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Master of None and became the first writers of Asian descent to win in the category, which was also nominated in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. Yang also was the screenwriter of the 2014 comedy Date and Switch. In 2018, Yang co-created the Amazon Video series Forever.
The following is the filmography of Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker Seth Rogen.
Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor who has appeared in films, television series and video games. He made his film debut in the short One Step Away in 1985. The following year, Reeves appeared in the crime film River's Edge, and the television films Babes in Toyland, Act of Vengeance, and Brotherhood of Justice. His first lead role was as a teenager dealing with his best friend's suicide in the 1988 drama Permanent Record. His breakthrough role came when he played time-travelling slacker Ted "Theodore" Logan in the science fiction comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) with Alex Winter, which was an unexpected commercial success. Reeves followed this with a supporting role in Ron Howard's comedy Parenthood. In 1991 he starred in the action film Point Break with Patrick Swayze, the science fiction comedy sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and the independent drama My Own Private Idaho.
Point Grey (PGP) is a Canadian-American film and television production company, founded in 2011 by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The company is named after Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver, where they met.
Anthony Katagas is an American film producer. He is an alumnus of Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he majored in government and was captain of the lacrosse team as a goalie. He also represented Greece at the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship.
Knock Knock is a 2015 thriller film directed by Eli Roth, who also co-wrote the script with Guillermo Amoedo and Nicolás López. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas. The film was released on October 9, 2015, by Lionsgate Premiere. Knock Knock is a remake of Death Game, which was directed by Peter S. Traynor and starred Sondra Locke and Colleen Camp. All three individuals had a hand in the production of Knock Knock, while Camp also had a cameo in the newer film.
John Wick is an American neo-noir action film series and media franchise created by Derek Kolstad. It centers on the titular character portrayed by actor Keanu Reeves. Wick is a legendary hitman who is reluctantly drawn back into the criminal underworld after retiring. The franchise began with the release of John Wick in 2014, followed by three sequels: Chapter 2 in 2017, Chapter 3 – Parabellum in 2019, and Chapter 4 in 2023.
Monkeypaw Productions is an American independent film and television production company founded in 2012 by Jordan Peele. The company is known for producing horror films, such as Get Out, Us, Candyman, Nope, and Wendell & Wild, as well as other films, such as Keanu and Monkey Man.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is a 2023 American neo-noir action thriller film directed and co-produced by Chad Stahelski and written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch. The sequel to John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and the fourth installment in the John Wick franchise, the film stars Keanu Reeves as the title character, alongside Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Clancy Brown, and Ian McShane. In the film, John Wick sets out to get revenge on the High Table and those who left him for dead.
Mattson Tomlin is an American filmmaker and writer.
John Wick Presents: Ballerina is an upcoming American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten. It is a spin-off and the fifth film in the John Wick franchise, set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). It stars Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Keanu Reeves, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, and Ian McShane. In the film, ballerina-assassin Rooney (Armas) hunts those who killed her family. This is Reddick's final screen role, which will be released posthumously in 2025.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is an upcoming action-adventure comedy film based on the video game series published by Sega. It is directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, based on a story by Casey and Miller. Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, and Lee Majdoub reprise their roles with Alyla Browne, Krysten Ritter, and Keanu Reeves joining the cast. In the film, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles must ally with Dr. Robotnik to defeat a new enemy, Shadow the Hedgehog.
Being Mortal is a suspended American comedy-drama film written, directed, produced by, and starring Aziz Ansari in what was set to be his feature directorial debut. It is based on the 2014 non-fiction book Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Bill Murray, Seth Rogen, and Keke Palmer were set to co-star.
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