Aziz Ansari is finally stepping behind the camera and the wait might’ve been worth it. Good Fortune, his long-anticipated directorial debut, is heading to theaters this fall, complete with an unlikely cast pairing that borders on inspired: Keanu Reeves as a guardian angel and Seth Rogen as a clueless rich guy.
Originally announced back in 2023, the film was delayed due to industry strikes and production shakeups. Ansari, who not only wrote and directed but also stars in the movie, is getting a proper shot at feature filmmaking after his previous effort, Being Mortal, was indefinitely shelved following allegations of misconduct against cast member Bill Murray. That project never saw daylight, but Good Fortune is now ready to take off and it’s bringing celestial weirdness with it.
Reeves plays Gabriel, a bumbling angel on a mission to help Arj, a down-on-his-luck gig worker played by Ansari. Gabriel’s grand solution? Swap Arj’s life with that of wealthy venture capitalist Jeff, played by Rogen. Predictably, things spiral. “I’m normally only in charge of saving people from texting and driving,” Reeves says in the trailer. It’s a deadpan line delivered with his trademark sincerity, and it perfectly sets the tone.
Rogen’s character, meanwhile, is a tech bro archetype with no idea he’s about to be body-jacked by a man who delivers groceries for a living. Ansari keeps the absurdity grounded in human struggle. “Movies allow us to live life in someone else’s shoes,” he told the crowd at CinemaCon. “This movie is about what a lot of people are doing — struggling.”
Joining the chaos are Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh, rounding out a cast that’s more than capable of juggling comedy with a hint of pathos. As Oh’s character puts it in the trailer, “To save a lost soul, you have to find a lost soul.”
Produced by Lionsgate with Media Capital Technologies and a handful of Ansari’s longtime collaborators including Alan Yang, Good Fortune marks a return to the offbeat, smart comedy Ansari built his reputation on.
Expect existential questions, absurd divine interventions, and at least one scene where Rogen screams in confusion. Good Fortune lands in theaters October 17. You can check out the first teaser below.
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