Many questioned why Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, Being Mortal, was suddenly suspended on Thursday. Speculation was wild across the board, with sources finally sharing with Deadline that Bill Murray was at the center of the situation.
According to the outlet, Murray was reportedly hit with a complaint about inappropriate behavior, and Searchlight decided to suspend production Monday after the complaint was filed the prior week. The cast and crew were told about the production being suspended on Wednesday night via a letter delivered by the studio. Ansari and fellow co-star Seth Rogen were not named in the complaint.
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Principal photography on the film had started on March 28, reaching the halfway point before the suspension with the movie set for a release in 2023. Deadline notes that it is unknown if the suspension will affect the planned release.
Murray has famously been a difficult presence on set across his career, even with people who were considered his close friends like Harold Ramis. The Ghostbusters co-star revealed in an interview with The New Yorker that Murray was quite difficult to direct during the production of Groundhog Day. It also represents an end to their professional relationship until Ramis’ death, when the two reconciled.
“At times, Bill was just really irrationally mean and unavailable; he was constantly late on set,” Ramis told the New Yorker. “What I’d want to say to him is just what we tell our children: ‘You don’t have to throw tantrums to get what you want. Just say what you want.’”
And while it isn’t all horror stories with Murray on film sets, with names like Emma Stone and Sigourney Weaver praising him, there have been moments where Murray’s behavior raises eyebrows. What About Bob? is a prime example many cite due to Murray’s frosty relationship with star Richard Dreyfus and producer Laura Ziskin whom Murray threw into a lake. “Bill also threatened to throw me across the parking lot and then broke my sunglasses and threw them across the parking lot,” Ziskin told The Baltimore Sun in 2003. “I was furious and outraged at the time, but having produced a dozen movies, I can safely say it is not common behavior.”
Scrooged, Charlie’s Angels and several other films also carry tales about Murray on set, making the news from today unfortunate but not unsurprising. That said, it needs to be noted that Murray’s name has a lot of praise and positive stories too, so it truly isn’t common. Hopefully, more details will clear up the issue, but for now, Searchlight is remaining mum due to the ongoing investigation.
