Aziz Ansari’s Directorial Debut Film ‘Being Mortal’ Based on Atul Gawande’s Nonfiction Book is Reportedly Canned
- The film’s production was shut down last April after sexual misconduct allegations were levied at actor Bill Murray.
Several news reports have been speculating that Aziz Ansari’s feature film directorial debut, “Being Mortal,” is likely canned. The conjecture comes after the film, based on Atul Gawande’s nonfiction book, “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End,” experienced a production shutdown last April after sexual misconduct allegations were levied at actor Bill Murray.
News reports at the time said Murray allegedly kissed and straddled a female member of the crew. He later said it was meant as a joke. After Searchlight departed the film, leaving it in limbo, Murray settled the lawsuit out of court for a reported $100,000. The film was set to star Murray, Keke Palmer, and Seth Rogen. Not too many details were known about the plot.
According to Puck, after production was shut down and Searchlight departed the film, Ansari tried to find a new home for his film but was unsuccessful. However, it appears Ansari and Searchlight Pictures are still interested in working together.
The Puck report claims that Ansari is teaming up with Seth Rogen to write a script for an upcoming film, and Searchlight is the studio said to be involved with the production. No other details are known at this time.
Ansari is most known for creating the Netflix series “Master of None,” which is loosely based on the Indian American’s real-life experiences.
Ansari is most known for creating the Netflix series “Master of None,” which is loosely based on the Indian American’s real-life experiences. He plays the role of Dev, a New York-based actor who is struggling to identify what he really wants, both personally and professionally.
His most recent comedy special, “Nightclub Comedian,” for Netflix, premiered on Jan 25, 2002. In the half-hour special he addresses all that has happened since 2019, being back in New York City after moving to London, his reactions to how the world and society have changed because of COVID, anti-vaxxers and more. He is more self-reflective and empathetic these days and he encourages everyone to do the same, especially people with different views than our own who he believes are simply “trapped in a different algorithm.”
Ansari’s 2019 Netflix special “Right Now,” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. Directed by Spike Jonze, it addressed the anonymous sexual misconduct accusation made against Ansari in 2018. “It made me think about a lot, and I hope I’ve become a better person,” he told the audience.
In January 2018, Ansari was accused by a 22-year-old photographer who claimed that the comedian forced her into having oral sex with him and engaged in other forms of sexual misconduct during the night they spent together. In a story published on the now-defunct website babe.net, a woman with the pseudonym Grace described a date with Ansari during which she felt he had been overly aggressive, and had pressured her into sex.”