It's always humorous when two rival studios are essentially putting out different versions of the same movie, forcing them to battle it out behind-the-scenes to see which one will come out on top. It happened last year with two Snow White pics, is happening now with two competing White House invasion movies, and looks to be happening again with rival projects set in the culinary world.
Two films using the title Chef are in the works right now, and according to Deadline the investors at Cannes are more than a little confused. The first one is an indie being put together by Jon Favreau, reuniting with his Iron Man running buddy, Robert Downey Jr. In fact, he's now adding another member of their Marvel crew as Iron Man 2 and The Avengers co-star Scarlett Johansson has joined the cast. Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, and Bobby Cannavale fill out the impressive ensemble, and the story centers on a promising chef who loses his job, opens a food truck, and reclaims his culinary passion while winning over his estranged family. Favreau may have intended for the film to be small, but that's now out of the question with Downey and Johansson.
And then there's the Bradley Cooper-led Chef, which is to be directed by John Wells (ER) from a script by Eastern Promises writer Steven Knight. With Omar Sy already on board, a the finalists for the female lead have been narrowed down to Michelle Williams and Marion Cotillard. Cooper, Sy, and either of the actresses will make for a powerful trio, strong enough to guarantee this won't be some art house project.
Obviously, one of these is due for a name change, and Sony has now sent a 'cease and desist' order for Favreau to seek a new title. Expect that to get done by the time Cannes wraps up. [ScreenDaily/Deadline]
