Aziz Ansari is on a mission to bring big comedies back to theaters, starting with Good Fortune. Good Fortune is Ansari’s directorial debut, and he also wrote the script for the film Fortunately for Ansari, he ᴀssembled a star-studded cast, including, Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, and Keke Palmer, alongside himself, to help make his goal a reality. While not much is known about the film, it’s a high-concept comedy in which Keanu Reeves plays a guardian angel trying to show Ansari’s down-on-his-luck character that his life is worth living — by body-swapping him with Rogen’s wealthy tech-bro.

Ansari has been building towards helming a feature for many years. The comedian and Parks and Recreation star previously directed 11 episodes of his acclaimed Netflix series, Master of None, which ran for three seasons. In 2022, he was set to direct the FOX Searchlight film Being Mortal. However, Being Mortal‘s production was suspended after just two weeks when a crew member filed a complaint against actor Bill Murray for alleged Sєxual harᴀssment. While Being Mortal remains in limbo, Ansari quickly pivoted to Good Fortune, bringing over Rogen and Palmer, who were also part of the Being Mortal cast.

Good Fortune Latest News

Keanu Reeves Was Injured On Set And The Trailer Earned Raves At CinemaCon

In January of 2024, set pH๏τos of Keanu Reeves using crutches and an ice pack on his knees went viral. At the time, It wasn’t clear if Reeves was actually injured or if it was part of his character in the film. However, when Aziz presented Good Fortune to theater owners during CinemaCon, he cleared up what happened and explained that Reeves had injured himself in his trailer between shooting scenes. Later appeared on The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert over the summer, Reeves provided more details about his Good Fortune injury:

I was filming a scene with Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen and we were in a cold plunge. I was loving it, I was standing there, and we finish the scene, and you know when you’re cold and you’re [shuffling]? I had a bathing suit and a towel, and you put it over your head and you do the cold shuffle?

I’m doing the cold shuffle in this room that had protective carpets down and then, just here, there was like a little pocket, and my foot got caught in the pocket in the shuffle, and then I went [down], but [my knee] didn’t follow. And then, in slow motion, I went falling. My arms came out, but then my knee failed because it’s got some stuff, and I spiked it. And my patella — kneecap — cracked like a potato chip. Comedy’s hard, man

While a trailer has yet to be released, Aziz showed clips from Good Fortune at CincemCon in April 2024. According to THR who was in attendance, “the footage he debuted of Good Fortune couldn’t have landed any better than it did.” Lionsgate President Adam Fogelson, whose studio is releasing the film, raved about working with Aziz during the presentation, stating, “This movie is entirely unique.” He also compared the film to Trading Places, the classic 1983 comedy where Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd swap lives.

Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune Release Date

The Film Arrives In The Fall of 2025

Lionsgate announced that Good Fortune has been given an official release date of October 17, 2025. The movie is expected to receive a wide release due to its star-studded cast and commercial premise. The only other film currently scheduled for that date is Blumhouse’s The Black Phone 2.

Other notable October 2025 releases competing with Good Fortune include Joachim Rønning’s Tron: Ares, Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman, and Antoine Fuqua’s Micheal, a biopic about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Notably, no other comedies are slated for release that month. Lionsgate must have confidence in the film if they began promoting it at CinemaCon more than a year in advance.

Good Fortune Cast

Aziz Ansari Cast Himself Alongside Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh

When the project was first announced in April 2023, Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves were already attached. 11 months later, Keke Palmer was confirmed to be part of the cast as Aziz’s love interest in the film. Other notable cast members include Sandra Oh and Dune’s Stephen McKinley Henderson, who are rumored to portray angels alongside Reeves.

Good Fortune Story Details

The Heavenly Comedy Has Elements of Trading Places and Warren Beatty’s Heaven Can Wait

While the film was shrouded in mystery during production, Aziz Ansari revealed much of the setup during his appearance at CinemaCon. The film is a celestial comedy, reminiscent of Warren Beatty’s Heaven Can Wait, John Travolta’s 1996 hit Michael, and Robert Downey Jr.’s Heart and Souls, mixed with class comedies like Eddie Murphy’s comedy Trading Places.

Keanu Reeves stars as Gabriel, a guardian angel whose primary job is saving people from texting and other car accidents. Gabriel becomes invested in helping a down-on-his-luck gig worker (played by Ansari) who is struggling after being fired by a wealthy, tech-bro named Jeff (Seth Rogen). To show Ansari’s character that wealth isn’t the solution to his problems, Gabriel swaps his life with Jeff’s.

However, when Ansari actually loves his new life and refuses to switch back, Gabriel loses his wings and becomes human, ending up as roommates with the now penniless Jeff. The two team up to get Ansari to switch back his life with Jeff.

Aziz Ansari Wants Comedy Films To Be Big Box Office Successes Again

The Comedy Genre Has Not Been As Popular At The Box Office In Recent Years

Comedies have struggled to find success in theaters since the pandemic. While some franchise films with comedic elements have done well recently — such as ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool and Wolverine, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and, if you count family films, John Krasinksi’s IF, 2024 saw no major breakout hits that were purely comedies.

At CinemcaCon, Ansari addressed this concern, explaining it was part of what inspired him to make Good Fortune. Speaking to the theater owners and press in attendance, he said (via THR):

I have been doing some work that was more dramatic recently. I wanted to do a comedy and I wanted it to be in theaters. I don’t buy into this theory that theatrical comedies are not a thing.”

Hopefully, Ansari will be proven right when Good Fortune is released on October 17, 2025.