Aziz Ansari is having a heck of a time getting his directorial debut made. The Master of None creator was forced to scrap his first attempt at a directorial debut, Being Mortal, after Bill Murray was accused of misconduct with a female staffer. However, Ansari was able to bounce back a year later with a new film, Good Fortune, which boasted an impressive cast thanks to the addition of both Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen.
Unfortunately, fate has struck again. Good Fortune was reportedly halfway through production when it was forced to shut down “indefinitely” after the set was picketed twice this week by the ongoing writers’ strike.
Ansari was directing and starring opposite Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves in the comedy, which he also wrote and was producing for Lionsgate. The studio made the decision Thursday.
The hope is that production will resume at a later date, though it is unclear when that might happen or what will happen if the strike drags on through the summer. Ansari penned the script, and was not writing additional material on the film, per strike rules, according to sources.
Little is known about Good Fortune‘s plot, and judging by THR‘s reporting, we may never know what Ansari’s film is about if the studios don’t make a deal with the Writers Guild of America sooner rather than later.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)