When it comes to films about cooking, they normally trigger feelings of nostalgia á la Julie & Julia or simply get your stomach rumbling. But for Anya Taylor-Joy’s latest culinary flick, well, your appetite will likely disappear entirely.
A delightful fusion of horror and comedy, The Menu is packed with a five-course meal of decadent cinematography, an opulent cast and refined palette of fashion moments. But the twist? Well, you’ll need a strong stomach.
Brought to life by Searchlight Pictures, the thriller has been directed by Mark Mloyd, who is known for his work on Succession and Entourage.
But those aren’t the only talented hands working on the project, writer Adam MacKay (Don’t Look Up, The Big Short and VICE), was behind the film—given the impressive line up working on The Menu, you’re bound to leave the cinema satisfied.
Below, find out everything we know (so far) about the Anya Taylor-Joy’s upcoming thriller, The Menu—from the eerie plot to the star-studded cast and highly-anticipated release date.
What is the release date for The Menu?
Get ready to whet your appetite, The Menu is set to hit cinemas around Australia on November 24 2022, as per Flicks.
What is the plot of The Menu?
While you might think that The Menu will simply see Joy and her co-stars enjoying a fine dining experience, it’s so much more than that.
Taking place on a remote island, the film follows a group of people, specifically couple Margot and Tyler, who arrive for an exclusive fine dining experience at a restaurant named Hawthorne. Run by celebrity chef Slowik, the customers each pay $1250 to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience, but of course, there’s something not quite adding up about the night’s events.
As per the film’s synopsis, The Menu “focuses 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 surprise.”
What is that surprise exactly? It looks as if we’ll have to wait and see.
Is there a trailer for The Menu?
Thankfully, there is! To go with the ambiguous film synopsis, The Menu trailer is honestly just as vague.
“Welcome, we will endeavour to make your evening as pleasant as possible,” the restaurant’s seemingly oblivious host tells the couple, before Slowick says, “Here we are a family”.
When talking about the creepy head chef, Tyler tries to comfort Margot, who is concerned about the intentions of Slowick.
“He’s not just a chef, he’s a storyteller. The game is trying to guess what the overarching theme of the entire meal is going to be”.
Throughout the trailer, tension is rife and the soundtrack is jam-packed with suspense. And it’s made quite clear that their fine dining experience is feeling oh-so-similar to a cult, with the head chef as the ring leader, as his team shout “Yes, chef!” in an eerie synchronism.
“We now offer you a 45-second head start,” Slowick tells the guests, before the guests are seen sprinting amongst the forest, before saying, “It’s all part of the menu”.
Curious? Be our guest and check out the entire trailer below.
WATCH BELOW: The Menu Official Trailer
Who is cast in The Menu?
As we know, Anya Taylor-Joy (Queen’s Gambit, The Northman) is set to star as the film’s lead, Margot, and is joined by Nicholas Hoult (The Great, Skins) who plays Margot’s partner, Tyler.
On June 1, Taylor-Joy also shared the The Menu’s trailer to her Instagram account, inviting her followers to join her for a meal.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” she captioned the post, adding, “@themenufilm directed by the darling Mark Mylod and starring a whole bunch of beautiful talents…This is going to be fun.”
As well as Joy and Hoult, Oscar-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter) plays the frightening head chef Slowick, as well as Hong Chau, John Leguizamo, Judith Light, Janet McTeer, Arturo Castro and Rob Yang.
