Now before you go off and think that this just might be the greatest product placement film of all time, THE FOUNDER is being described as "being akin to THE SOCIAL NETWORK and THERE WILL BE BLOOD." The story will follow that of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers' speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. He maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire. Shooting started on June 1 in Atlanta, and finds John Lee Hancock (SAVING MR. BANKS) directing a script from Robert D. Siegel (THE WRESTLER).
Joining Keaton will be Linda Cardellini, who seems to be making her way into the spotlight with recent projects like AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON and Netflix's Bloodline. Cardellini will portray Joan Smith, who was said to have met McDonald's Corp. founder Ray Kroc while playing piano at a corporate party at a bar in 1957, before carrying on a secret relationship and finally marrying in 1969.
Regardless of how you felt about BIRDMAN, it was great to see Michael Keaton headlining a film again. Especially in one of the greatest performances of his career. I'm not sure this movie will be as dark as the aforementioned SOCIAL NETWORK or THERE WILL BE BLOOD, but it should be a fascinating look at some of the people that brought McDonald's to people all over the globe.
THE FOUNDER is scheduled to hit theaters on November 25, 2016.