Aziz Ansari will make his directorial debut for Searchlight Pictures with a movie starring legendary actor Bill Murray. Not only will the Parks and Rec actor be directing, but he also wrote the script, will produce, and star in the project alongside Murray.
The untitled movie will be a comedy-drama based on the book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, a non-fiction account of Dr. Atul Gawande and his experience working as a surgeon in hospice and end-of-life care. (That is probably where the “drama” aspect of the movie comes in.)
In a statement from Searchlight Pictures presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield, the studio is “thrilled” to work with the duo. “Aziz Ansari is an incredible talent and, with this script, he brings a singular combination of insightful humor and pathos. We’re thrilled to be partnering with him on his feature directorial debut, which is long overdue, and, of course, working with the genius Bill Murray once again.”
Ansari is known for co-creating Netflix’s hit Master of None, which has snagged two Emmys. This will be his first time in the director’s chair for a major motion picture, though the actor previously directed a handful of episodes of Master of None. Ansari also has a new comedy special Nightclub Comedian which just premiered on Netflix last month. Ansari took a brief hiatus from Hollywood after alleged sexual misconduct allegations in 2018. No charges were ever filed.
Murray has recently joined the MCU as a “bad guy” in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp installment, alongside Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, who has been spewing some questionable takes about vaccines. Maybe Murray can take over as Wasp?