Good Fortune (film)

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Good Fortune
Directed by Aziz Ansari
Written byAziz Ansari
Produced by
Starring
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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.

Contents

Premise

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]

Cast

Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh also appear in the film. [2] [3]

Production

Development

After the shelving of his previous project Being Mortal by distributor Searchlight Pictures, Ansari opted to move 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 Aziz Ansari for Lionsgate with Ansari also acting as writer, director and co-star. [5] Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen were revealed to have joined the cast in April 2023. [6]

Filming

Principal photography was expected to start on May 16, 2023, in Los Angeles, [7] [8] but was delayed indefinitely due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. [4] [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]

The majority of filming wrapped by the time that Reeves's subsequent project, Outcome began principal photography on March 20, [18] 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]

Marketing

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)". [19] Writing for Deadline , Anthony D'Alessandro and Nancy Tartaglione observed, "It looks hysterical and received a ton of laughs" [20]

Release

Good Fortune is scheduled to be released theatrically by Lionsgate in the United States. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gardner, Chris (April 10, 2024). "Aziz Ansari Confirms Keanu Reeves Fractured Knee While in His Trailer Amid Filming 'Good Fortune'". The Hollywood Reporter . Eldridge Industries . Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (January 30, 2024). "Keke Palmer Joins Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen in Aziz Ansari's 'Good Fortune'". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (April 5, 2024). "Sandra Oh Joins Aziz Ansari's Lionsgate Comedy 'Good Fortune'". Deadline . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 19, 2023). "Aziz Ansari Directed Good Fortune Movie Halted By WGA Pickets; Keanu Reeves & Seth Rogen Starring Lionsgate Pic Up For Grabs At Cannes". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation.
  5. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 18, 2023). "Aziz Ansari, Keanu Reeves & Seth Rogen Have 'Good Fortune' With Lionsgate". Deadline . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  6. ↑ Galuppo, Mia (April 18, 2023). "Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves to Star in Aziz Ansari Movie 'Good Fortune'". The Hollywood Reporter . Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  7. ↑ Villei, Matt (April 18, 2023). "Aziz Ansari to Write, Direct, and Star in New Comedy 'Good Fortune'". Collider . Valnet Inc. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  8. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (April 18, 2023). "Aziz Ansari to Write, Direct and Star in Lionsgate Comedy 'Good Fortune' With Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  9. ↑ Couch, Aaron; Kilkenny, Katie (May 19, 2023). "Aziz Ansari's Good Fortune Suspended Indefinitely Amid Writer's Strike (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 19, 2023.
  10. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Kroll, Justin (November 8, 2023). "'Deadpool 3', 'Gladiator 2', 'Beetlejuice 2', 'Juror No. 2' & 'Venom 3' Among Film Productions To Restart ASAP As Hollywood Gets Back To Work Post-Strike". Deadline . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  11. ↑ Manno, Jackie (January 25, 2024). "Keke Palmer Had a Pool Party with Keanu Reeves for the Most Exciting Reason". NBC. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  12. 1 2 Flam, Charna (January 25, 2024). "Keanu Reeves Seen Walking with Crutches and Ice Pack on His Knee While on Break from Filming". People Magazine . Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  13. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 30, 2024). "Keke Palmer Reteams With Aziz Ansari For His Feature Directorial Debut 'Good Fortune' Starring Keanu Reeves & Seth Rogen". Deadline . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  14. 1 2 Vasquez, Ingrid; Smart, Jack (April 11, 2024). "Keanu Reeves Fractured His Kneecap After He 'Tripped on a Rug' in His Trailer on Good Fortune Set, Says Aziz Ansari". People Magazine . Dotdash Meredith . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  15. ↑ Miller, Nola (January 26, 2024). "Keanu Reeves recovering after on-set injury, fans send well wishes". The News International . Jang Media Group. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  16. ↑ Katira, Kirtika (January 26, 2024). "Keanu Reeves spotted walking with crutches on Good Fortune set; concerned fans react". WION News . Essel Group. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  17. ↑ McArdle, Tommy (January 29, 2024). "Keanu Reeves Seen Standing on Set of Good Fortune Days After Being Photographed with Crutches". People Magazine . Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  18. ↑ Lee, Michelle (March 20, 2024). "Keanu Reeves Reveals Sharp Crew Cut on the Set of New Film: See His Shocking Hair Transformation!". People . Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  19. ↑ Motamayor, Rafael (April 10, 2024). "Good Fortune Footage Reaction: Keanu Reeves Is Aziz Ansari's Literal Guardian Angel [CinemaCon 2024]". /Film . Static Media . Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  20. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (April 10, 2024). "'Good Fortune': Aziz Ansari Brings Down House, Ribs Lionsgate Boss Adam Fogelson On Over-Casting Henry Cavill In Pics – CinemaCon". Deadline . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved June 3, 2024.
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