Good Fortune (film)

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 Ansari's company Oh Brudder Productions. It follows an angel named Gabriel (Reeves), whose failed attempt to show a struggling man (Ansari) that money doesn't solve one's problems—by body swapping him with his wealthy employer Jeff (Rogen)—results in Gabriel losing his wings, while the work he did as an angel begins to unravel around them.

After the suspension of his original directorial debut Being Mortal at Searchlight Pictures in 2022, Ansari moved forward with plans to direct Good Fortune. He desired to make a comedy film with the intent for it to be theatrically released, citing the success of Barbie (2023) as proof of the viability of such a project. Ansari's longtime friend Rogen, who inspired the implementation of several elements into the film, joined alongside Reeves in April 2023, when the film was set to begin principal photography in May. Following a production shutdown in the middle of the month due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, filming started in late January 2024 in Los Angeles, when Palmer joined the cast. The majority of filming wrapped before April 2024, with some scenes picked up at a later date after an injury Reeves sustained two weeks into filming had healed.

Good Fortune is set for theatrical release by distributor Lionsgate Films.

Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) is a "budget guardian angel".^[1] One day, he notices a man down on his luck (Aziz Ansari), who does odd jobs for a wealthy socialite named Jeff (Seth Rogen). Once the man falls asleep in a booth at a Denny's restaurant, he 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 is sent down to Earth to live among humans, while the man takes over Jeff's body and livelihood.^[2] Gabriel then becomes roommates with the displaced Jeff,^[1] as the work he did as an angel begins to unravel around them.^[2]

(Clockwise from top left): Good Fortune stars Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, and Sandra Oh

• Keanu Reeves as Gabriel, an angel. He tries to regain his wings after a plan to show a struggling man that wealth can not solve one's problems goes haywire, resulting in the man taking over his affluent employer's life.^[2] Normally, Gabriel is responsible for saving people from choking or stopping them from texting while driving, but tries to show the man that the life of wealth is "not all that it’s cracked up to be".^[2]
• Aziz Ansari as a struggling man. He ends up doing various odd jobs for his wealthy socialite employer Jeff, such as fixing his pool and finding him a shaman for an ayahuasca journey.^[2] After hitting rock bottom, he meets the angel Gabriel in a Denny's parking lot, who tries to show him that money does not solve one's problems.^[2]
• Seth Rogen as Jeff, a wealthy man who lives a life of luxury and excess. He owns several cars, a modern mansion with a pool and a disco club in the basement, and hosts wild parties.^[2] Following Gabriel's intervention with Jeff's unlucky employee, he and the man have their lives swapped.^[2]
• Keke Palmer^[3]
• Sandra Oh as an angel who takes Gabriel's wings^[2][4]

Stephen McKinley Henderson has a supporting role.^[5]

After the suspension of his first directorial project Being Mortal at Searchlight Pictures in 2022 due to star Bill Murray's alleged inappropriate behavior, Aziz Ansari moved forward with his next planned production, Good Fortune.^[6][4][1] Ansari had been doing dramatic work, and wished to make a comedy to be theatrically released. Ansari believed in the viability of such a film, and cited the success of Barbie (2023) as an example.^[2] Ansari expressed a desire to "write about things that everyone is dealing with that no one is talking about", and felt that struggling in life was a perfect example of this.^[2] Ansari conducted research for the film, including interviewing gig workers to inform him what their way of life is like.^[2]

Following negotiations with Dan Freedman, Phil Strina, John Biondo, and Matt Leonetti, the project was acquired by Lionsgate Films.^[6] It was officially announced in April 2023 to be produced by Anthony Katagas, Alan Yang, and Ansari, with Ansari also acting as writer, director and co-star.^[6] Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen were revealed to be starring, with filming set to begin in May.^[7] Ansari and Rogen had been longtime friends and were looking to partner for a film. Rogen inspired the implementation of several ideas in the script, such as a sauna and a cold plunge.^[2] Aniz Adam Ansari and Jonathan McCoy are executive producers, while Brady Fujikawa and Jon Humphrey oversaw the production for Lionsgate.^[4]

Principal photography was expected to start on May 16, 2023, in Los Angeles,^[8][9] but was delayed indefinitely due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.^[10][11] In November 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported the production was aiming to restart in early 2024.^[12] On January 25, 2024, Keke Palmer revealed in an Instagram post that filming with Ansari, Rogen, and Reeves had begun.^[13][14] Other sources further confirmed her casting.^[15][3] Filming with Reeves hooked into a rig atop a roof with a stunt double in Los Angeles occured in February.^[16]

Two weeks into shooting,^[17] photos of Reeves on set with crutches and an ice pack on his left knee circulated online.^[18][14] At the time, it was unclear if the medical aids were worn for his role or for the treatment of an actual injury.^[14] The viral images prompted some websites to report uncertainty surrounding the actor's health.^[19][20] Days later, Reeves was seen standing on set without assistance.^[21] In an interview during his panel for the film at the 2024 CinemaCon in April, Ansari addressed the media attention, noting that the hashtag #GetWellSoonKeanu had trended in response to the photos.^[2] He clarified that Reeves had fractured his knee during filming, noting the actor had tripped on a rug while inside his trailer. He said that Reeves continued to shoot the majority of the rest of the film despite his injury.^[2] 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".^[22]

The majority of filming wrapped by the time that Reeves's subsequent project, Outcome began principal photography on March 20,^[23] with Ansari noting that only scenes for a salsa dancing sequence with Reeves were left to shoot. Reeves had wanted to shoot the scenes anyway, but Ansari and the rest of the production insisted on a delay until the actor's knee healed.^[17] On April 5, it was reported that Sandra Oh had joined the cast.^[4]

Carter Burwell was hired to compose the score by August 2024.^[24]

Aziz Ansari attended the 2024 CinemaCon to promote the film for Lionsgate Films, revealing his creative processes and plot details for the project, and showed attendees a closed-doors look at a trailer for the film.^[2] /Film's Ryan Scott likened the body-swapping element showcased to "Trading Places (1983) by way of Scrooged (1988)".^[1] Writing for Deadline Hollywood, Anthony D'Alessandro and Nancy Tartaglione observed, "It looks hysterical and received a ton of laughs".^[25]

Good Fortune is scheduled to be released theatrically by Lionsgate Films in the United States.^[10]

• Good Fortune at IMDb