Comedian and Master of None star Aziz Ansari is set to make his directorial debut with a comedy-drama starring legendary actor Bill Murray. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Ansari has set up the untitled film at Searchlight Pictures where he will be putting on many different hats. In addition to serving as director, a first for the entertainer, he also wrote the screenplay, will serve as a producer, and plans to play a role in the film. Youree Henley, who produced Murray’s 2020 film On the Rocks and worked with Ansari on his upcoming comedy special, Nightclub Comedian, is also producing.
Details on the characters Murray and Ansari are playing weren’t made clear, but the film is based on the Atul Gawande book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. The book was described by The New York Times as a “moving and clear-eyed look at aging and death in our society, and at the harms we do in turning it into a medical problem, rather than a human one.”
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
“Aziz Ansari is an incredible talent and, with this script, he brings a singular combination of insightful humor and pathos,” said Searchlight presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield in a joint statement. “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 hasn’t directed a movie before this project, but he won two Emmy Awards for his writing on the comedy series Master of None. He’s also made his TV directing debut by helming 11 episodes of the show and getting another Emmy nomination for outstanding directing. The comedian also directed his upcoming comedy special which will arrive on Netflix this year. Along with Master of None, Ansari is also well known for starring in Parks and Recreation.
Bill Murray Might Return to His Most Popular Role Once Again
Columbia Pictures
Meanwhile, there’s any number of roles where fans will remember veteran actor Bill Murray from. Last year, he reprised his popular role as Peter Venkman in the Ghostbusters franchise by returning for Jason Reitman’s sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife. While Murray has not committed to appearing in any more films, there’s a chance we haven’t seen the last of him as Venkman, as his co-stars feel that more sequels should be made with the legacy stars returning.
“I’d like to die. I think Bill and I should be killed in the next one. Or, maybe we wait. Why not use the living Ghostbusters – Ernie, Billy and myself – for four, five, and six? Go until we’re gone. Then there will be time for the tributes. Death is going to take us soon enough,” Aykroyd said on USA Today.
Murray also recently starred in the Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch and is set to make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the upcoming sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The actor will also reunite with Anderson for the film Asteroid City.
No release date has yet been set for the untitled comedy-drama from Aziz Ansari and Bill Murray.