Helen Mirren Might Play a Chef in an Upcoming Movie

Looks like a new food movie is coming up on the horizon. And luckily it's not titled Chef. Dreamworks has signed on Swedish director Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, Cider House Rules) to direct The Hundred-Foot Journey, an adaptation of the Richard C. Morais novel by the same name. It will be produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey and Juliet Blake. (Oscar bait, perhaps?) The only rumored casting so far, according to Deadline, is actress Helen Mirren for the role of Madame Mallory, a celebrated three-Michelin-starred chef living in a small French Alps town.

According to the synopsis on Amazon, the story follows young cooking savant Hassan Haji as his family opens an Indian restaurant in small French town of Lumière. Their restaurant is a mere 100 feet away from that of celebrated three-star Michelin chef Madame Mallory, and soon their delicious but inexpensive food attracts business away from her restaurant.

Mallory "wage[s] culinary war" against Hassan's family, but ends up mentoring him instead and inspiring him to open his own restaurant. The core of the story focuses on the two characters' bond and Hassan's cultural awakening. While official word from Dreamworks is that no casting is set as of yet, the movie is set to begin shooting in the Fall.

· Helen Mirren May Be in 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' [Deadline]
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