Former sexiest man alive Bradley Cooper and French actor Omar Sy are in talks to play characters in the Weinstein Company's much-delayed film Chef (working title), Variety reports (picking up a Cooper interview with radio station RTL). Cooper, of course, has played a chef before, in Fox's doomed 2005 series based on Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. (Pictured above in character as Jack Bourdain. No photos of Sy in a chef's coat were available at press time; use your imagination.) This would be Sy's first English-language film; he's most famous for his breakout role in the Golden Globe-nominated film The Intouchables.
Cooper, who speaks fluent French apparently, told RTL: "We've been talking about this project. I want to do it. It's a beautiful story. And I love cooking." But he did say that after his next film he plans on taking a break in Paris to watch the French Open tennis tournament in late May, so who knows what the timeline on this thing is.
Chef tells the story of a chef who loses his Michelin-starred Parisian restaurant thanks to drug and alcohol issues. He then gets the old gang back together in London to open what Variety calls "the best restaurant ever." The script is by Steven Knight (Eastern Promises) and currently has director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) attached.
News that Cooper was possibly maybe attached to the project was reported by Vulture back in October. Once upon a time in 2008, Keanu Reeves was named for the lead chef role and David Fincher, who described Chef as "a celibate sex comedy," was going to direct. Maybe this time around, this thing will actually get off the ground.
· Cinéma - Bradley Cooper et Omar Sy [RTL]
· Bradley Cooper, Omar Sy Eye 'Chef' [Variety]
· All Food on Film Coverage on Eater [-E-]