Michael Keaton is back in action — and big business. He plays Ray Kroc in The Founder, a film debuting this August about the rise of McDonald's as a fast food empire capable of raking in $700 million in annual revenue
How did one man take a tiny burger joint and turn it into a globally recognized brand? "Persistence," Keaton-as-Kroc says in the trailer for the movie, which chronicles his journey from joining Mac and Dirk McDonald in their business to creating a veritable kingdom of golden arches. "McDonald's can be the new American church. And it ain't just open on Sundays, boys," says Keaton's character.
The story is told in the manner of The Social Network, as Vulture reported, showing off a darker side of the franchising business as Kroc's ambition creates plenty of friction between himself and McDonald's. The movie also features Nick Offerman from Parks and Rec and John Lee Hancock as the McDonald brothers, along with BJ Novak from The Office.
