Though Keanu Reeves has tried his hand at more comedic and light-hearted fare over the years, the actor has established himself as a bona fide action star thanks to leading roles in the likes of The Matrix, Speed, and, of course, the John Wick franchise. So, his next project can definitely be viewed as an intriguing change of pace.
In Good Fortune, Reeves plays a well-intentioned but underqualified "budget guardian angel" named Gabriel, who asks his boss Martha (Sandra Oh) to give him more "meaningful duties" (we later learn that he's in charge of keeping people who text when they drive out of danger).
Martha tells him that in order to save a lost soul, he needs to find a lost soul, which is where Aziz Ansari's Arj comes in.
Arj does odd jobs for a wealthy socialite named Jeff (Seth Rogen), and Gabriel decides to attempt to convince his new charge that being wealthy like Jeff would not solve all of his problems by swapping the two men's lives. Unfortunately for Gabriel, having an obscene amount of cash ends up making Arj very happy indeed, and the angel loses his wings and is forced to live as a human.
Lionsgate debuted the first footage from Good Fortune during last year’s CinemaCon, where Ansari explained that he wanted to make a comedy after having recently worked on dramatic projects.
“Movies allow us to live life in someone else’s shoes. If you can write about things that everyone is dealing with that no one is talking about, you’re in a good area,” the Parks and Recreation alum told those in attendance. “This movie is about what a lot of people are doing — struggling.”
Good Fortune marks Ansari's feature directorial debut, and he also executive produces alongside Jonathan McCoy, Christopher Woodrow, and Connor DiGregorio. The film is set to premiere only in theaters on October 17.
Check out the teaser along with some promo stills and a poster at the links below, and let us know what you think in the comments section.
The film’s official synopsis reads:
"In Good Fortune, a well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Aziz Ansari) and a wealthy venture capitalist (Seth Rogen)."