2022 has been a good year for Keke Palmer. Not only is her film, “Nope,” a huge hit and being mentioned for possible awards consideration, but she also started working on the Aziz Ansari film, “Being Mortal,” which was expected to be a high-profile film for the actress. And using “was” isn’t a mistake, as the film was shuttered in the middle of production in April and dropped by Searchlight Pictures shortly thereafter. Now, months later, Palmer would be excited to get the project finished, but she thinks it would need a massive rewrite, as Bill Murray likely wouldn’t be involved.
Speaking to Variety, Keke Palmer talked about the fact that “Being Mortal” remains unfinished and what it would take for that production to begin again. Long story short, writer-director Aziz Ansari has a lot of work ahead of him, not including the trouble of finding a new distributor, just to be able to roll cameras on the film.
“If somebody could figure it out, it would be Aziz,” Palmer said. “Obviously, we got cut short at a certain point but I will say that I am pretty devastated. It’s an amazing film. If there is some way to be able to complete, salvage it, I would want to do it.”
Film fans might remember when “Being Mortal” found itself shut down after allegations against Bill Murray were brought to the public. At the time, it wasn’t clear exactly what misconduct occurred, but it was enough for the film to lose its funding and studio partner, Searchlight Pictures.
Recently, it was revealed that the allegations against Murray included sexual assault where he allegedly kissed a woman on the set when she wasn’t expecting it. This led to an investigation and an out-of-court settlement between the actor and crew member. However, this wasn’t enough to get the film back on track. Now, it would seem that the film would have to be completed without Murray, as it’s unlikely another studio would want him back involved (let alone any of the remaining cast and crew).
“[Ansari] would probably have to do a major rewrite, but I know what we got was gold,” added Palmer about what needs to happen for the film to continue without Murray.
Again, it’s unclear if the film will find a new studio home and when the potential for filming to continue will occur. As of now, it seems as if “Being Mortal” remains in limbo.