There have been a great number of culinary-centric movies and shows over the years with titles like Chef, The Big Night, and The Bear that show the great lengths chefs will go to entertain and dazzle their patrons as well as audiences with drama, comedy, and delicious cuisine that makes a strong case for a “Smell-o-Vision” resurgence. The upcoming Fall 2022 movie, The Menu, will aim to make a splash and sizzle in a different way when the dark comedy starring Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult opens in theaters with its unique premise and eccentric characters.
But before we all go run off to a grab a ticket and watch the dark comedy horror film and see what all the fuss is about, there are a few things we should go over in terms of what we know about the movie thus far. From its release date to cast and the creatives working behind the scenes, here are some quick things to know about The Menu.
The Menu Is Set To Premiere Theatrically November 18th
The month of October is chock-full of upcoming horror movies, but one of the most interesting and unique releases this year won’t debut until the following month. That’s because The Menu is set to open theatrically on November 18, 2022, which should provide for a great way to spend a couple of hours after stuffing our faces and filling our bellies over Thanksgiving.
Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy And Nicholas Hoult Lead The Menu’s Cast
When The Menu opens in theaters this November, it will feature a rather large ensemble cast that is headlined by three of the most intriguing and versatile names in show business today. Leading off the pack is Ralph Fiennes as the quirky celebrity culinary legend Chef Slowik, who will be preparing a meal for a room full of guests that includes Anya Taylor-Joy’s Margot and Nicholas Hoult’s Tyler, a young couple who have traveled far to try the exclusive restaurant.
Other members of the talented cast include the likes of John Leguizamo, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, Reed Birney, Paul Adelstein, Christina Brucato, Aimee Carrero, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, Rob Yang, and several others, according to Deadline.
The Menu Centers On A Restaurant Whose Chef Makes Surprising Culinary Decisions
Unlike the chef-centric movies mentioned in the introduction of this article, The Menu will feature a darker and more mysterious story, one that looks to take the film in a completely different direction. The movie centers on Margot and Tyler (remember, they’re played by Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult respectively) as they join a small group of wealthy foodies, writers, and celebrities on a culinary adventure like none other. Together, they attend a special dinner at Chef Slowik’s exclusive restaurant on a remote island where he and his staff have prepared a unique menu with all kinds of surprises.
The Menu Is Helmed By Succession Director Mark Mylod
Over the course of the past decade, Mark Mylod, who previously helmed comedies like Ali G Indahouse, The Big White, and What’s Your Number?, went back to his roots in TV and made a name for himself as one of the most talented and prolific directors on the small screen. This has included award-winning dramas like The Affair, Game of Thrones, and Succession, the lattermost earning him some hardware at the 2022 Primetime Emmys.
After establishing himself as one of the best TV directors, Mylod has returned to the silver screen once again to helm The Menu. In an interview with SlashFilm at Fantastic Fest 2022, Mylod said he initially transitioned to TV after making “bored comedy” films as a way to reinvent himself and find projects that he was “frightened of,” hence the shows he worked on following the decision. But when he read the script for The Menu he was terrified of its story and “had to do it.”
Former Onion News Network Writers Seth Reiss And Will Tracy Penned The Menu’s Script
The Menu’s script, the one that frightened director Mark Mylod enough to want to turn it into a movie, was written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, who previously worked together on The Onion News Network satirical news program as well as various other productions from news parody website and publisher. The two writers also have a long list of other high-profile projects to their name from over the past decade that are worth noting.
Reiss, following his extensive work with The Onion, went on to find success as a writer for Comedy Bang! Bang! and Late Night with Seth Meyers, where he wrote more than 300 episodes from the time of the show’s 2014 debut and 2020. Tracy also found a place in the late night world in 2014 when he joined the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver writing staff, writing a couple dozen episodes between 2014 and 2017. After that, he landed a job writing and producing another all-time great HBO show, Succession.
The Menu Premiered At The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival To Rave Reviews
The Menu won’t open to general audiences until mid-November, but the horror comedy already premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival back in September, where CinemaBlend’s Corey Chichizola gave the new feature 4.5 out of 5 stars in his spoiler-free video review. In another piece, he called The Menu “a perfect recipe of comedy and horror” before saying it was one of his favorite projects shown at the festival.
The movie, a little more than a month out from wide release, is receiving praise from other critics as well, and The Menu currently has a score of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. With some time before the big debut, we’ll have to wait and see if critics and moviegoers agree on the upcoming horror comedy.
The Menu Trailer Offers Up A Taste Of What’s To Come
In June 2022, Searchlight Pictures released the first teaser trailer for The Menu, which offered up a quick taste of what was to come with the star-studded affair. Clocking it at 93 seconds in the length, the brief video introduces you to some of the major players in the movie, including Ralph Fiennes’ Chef Slowik, Anya Taylor-Joy’s Margot, and Nicholas Hoult’s Tyler, among others:
While not giving too much away and ruining prospective audiences’ appetites for the drama that is to come later on when the main course is served up in theaters, the trailer offers up just enough to leave you intrigued about the good choice for a date night horror movie.
The Menu will be served up for everyone willing to give it a spin on November 18th, right around the time some of the biggest titles on the 2022 movie release schedule are set to premiere.
