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 Oh Brudder Productions and is set for theatrical release by distributor Lionsgate Films.

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.

Cast

 * Keanu Reeves as Gabriel, an angel who tries to regain his wings after a plan to show a man that wealth can not solve one's problems goes haywire, resulting in the man taking over another affluent man's life.
 * Aziz Ansari as a down-on-his-luck man who takes control of the life of his wealthy socialite employer Jeff after meeting his guardian angel in a Denny's parking lot.
 * Seth Rogen as Jeff, a wealthy man who lives a life of luxury and excess, and has his life swapped with that of a destitute and unlucky man.

Additionally Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh have been cast in undisclosed roles.

Development
After the shelving of his previous project Being Mortal by distributor Searchlight Pictures, Aziz Ansari opted to move forward with his next planned production, Good Fortune. 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. Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen were revealed to have joined the cast in April 2023.

Filming
Principal photography was expected to start on May 16, 2023, in Los Angeles, but was delayed indefinitely due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. In November 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported the production was aiming to restart in early 2024. In January 2024, Keke Palmer revealed in an Instagram post that filming with Ansari, Rogen, and Reeves had begun. Other sources further confirmed her casting.

Two weeks into shooting, photos of Reeves on set with crutches and an ice pack on his left knee circulated online. At the time, it was unclear if the medical aids were worn for his role or for the treatment of an actual injury. The viral images prompted some websites to report uncertainty surrounding the actor's health. Days later, Reeves was seen standing on set without assistance. 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. 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.

The majority of filming wrapped by the time that Reeves's subsequent project, Outcome began principal photography on March 20, 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. On April 5, it was reported that Sandra Oh had joined the cast.

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. /Film's Ryan Scott likened the body-swapping element showcased to "Trading Places (1983) by way of Scrooged (1988)". Writing for Deadline, Anthony D'Alessandro and Nancy Tartaglione observed, "It looks hysterical and received a ton of laughs".

Release
Good Fortune is scheduled to be released theatrically by Lionsgate in the United States.