Director John Lee Hancock, who's had experience bringing "based on a true story" films to Hollywood with past projects like The Blind Side and Saving Mr. Banks, is reportedly in talks to direct a movie about the McDonald's origin story. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hancock may direct The Founder, a fictionalized account of how "Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California." (Kroc brought the McDonald's franchise from the brothers in 1961 and served as the fast-food empire's CEO until 1974.) And casting rumors are already spreading: Variety reports Michael Keaton, fresh off a career resurgence, "has been chasing the role."
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'The Blind Side' Director in Talks to Direct McDonald's Origin Story
'The Founder' tells the story of McDonald's co-founder Ray Kroc.
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Robert D. Siegel (The Wrestler) is behind the script, with FilmNation and the Combine acting as producers. Per THR, The Founder's tone will be a serious one: The Facebook "origin story" The Social Network has been cited as one of the film's inspirations.