EXCLUSIVE: Emmy and Tony Award-winner John Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge, Critical Thinking) is in final talks to join Searchlight’s The Menu from producers Adam McKay and Betsy Koch.
The film, directed by Mark Mylod, is a darkly comedic psychological thriller set in the world of eccentric culinary culture, centering on a young couple who visit an exclusive restaurant on a remote island where an acclaimed chef has prepared a lavish tasting menu.
Previously announced cast includes Anya Taylor-Joy, who will portray one-half of the young couple; Ralph Fiennes, who stars as the chef; as well as Nicholas Hoult and Hong Chau in unconfirmed roles.
Leguizamo is a pioneering Latino actor, writer, producer, and playwright who began his career telling stories about his life growing up in New York City as part of the immigrant community and the colorful characters he met along the way in various comedy specials including 1991’s Mambo Mouth and 1993’s Spic-O-Rama.
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How Director David Bruckner Built 'The Night House' - Crew Call PodcastAlthough he made his small screen debut in Miami Vice in the 80s, he really made a splash with the 1995 sketch comedy series House of Buggin‘—known as the Latino In Living Color. Although it only ran for one season on Fox, creator, writer, and star Leguizamo—alongside costar Luis Guzman—broke ground for Latin Americans on TV.
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Notable film credits include Carlito’s Way, To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar, Romeo + Juliet, Summer of Sam, Moulin Rouge, Ice Age, and John Wick. He also directed and starred in the 2020 bio-drama Critical Thinking based on the real-life story of a Miami inner-city high school chess team that would go on to win the U.S. National Chess Championship.
He also appeared in Bloodline, Waco, When They See Us, and The Mandalorian.
Leguizamo earned four Emmy Award nominations including one win in 1999 for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program for HBO’s Freak.
His highly lauded one-man Broadway show Latin American History For Morons about the contributions of Latinos to U.S. history was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Play. That year, he received a Special Tony Award honoring his body of work and his commitment to telling diverse stories on Broadway.
He is repped by UTA and Jeff Bernstein at Jackoway, Austen, Tyerman, Wertheimer, Mandelbaulm, Morris, Bernstein, Trattner & Klein.
