Alexander Payne and Will Ferrell are not names I expect to see attached to a genre project, but that's what we're getting. Ferrell and his frequent collaborator Adam McKay are producing, along with Betsy Koch and through the company Gary Sanchez Productions, a "comedic horror-thriller" that has Payne attached to direct.
Titled THE MENU, the project has a screenplay by Will Tracy and Seith Reiss that is
set in the world of high-end culinary culture. The story centers on a young couple who visits an exclusive destination restaurant on a remote island where the acclaimed chef has prepared a lavish tasting menu, along with some shocking surprises.
THE MENU will be on the market soon and is expected to draw a lot of attention from studios, so it could be Payne's next film.
Payne's films tend to be acknowledged by the Academy, and he has won Oscars for co-writing the screenplays for two of them, SIDEWAYS and THE DESCENDANTS. He received a nomination for co-writing ELECTION, and has been up for Best Director for SIDEWAYS, THE DESCENDANTS, and NEBRASKA. THE DESCENDANTS was also nominated in the Best Picture category.
I have been a fan of most of Payne's movies, so I am very interested to see him dabble in the horror genre, especially with a movie that sounds to be about a cannibal chef.