Searchlight Pictures has suspended production on their film adaptation of Atul Gawande’s nonfiction work “Being Mortal” which was to mark comedian Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut reports Deadline.
Production had been halted for the past three days and now the cast and crew have received a letter informing them of the decision to suspend production.
Ansari, Bill Murray and Seth Rogen star in the project which began shooting late last month and was around halfway through principal photography before the halt was called.
The suspension is not related to COVID-19, rather the studio says it was investigating a complaint filed last week and “after reviewing the circumstances, it has been decided that production cannot continue at this time”.
Their hope is to resume production and they are working with Aziz and Youree [Henley, producer] to figure out that timing. Specifics of the complaint are unknown but sources for the trade indicate it was not made against Ansari. UPDATE: An update to the original report indicates that Bill Murray was the subject of the complaint, but specifics and who levelled the complaint are still unknown.
The plan was to release the film sometime in 2023 and it is unknown right now if the suspension will affect that timing.
