Open Road Films has acquired the U.S. rights to Jon Favreau's new comedy Chef. Financed by Aldamisa Entertainment, the film is based on an original screenplay by Favreau, who will direct and star in the movie. Chef will also star Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo and Robert Downey, Jr. Open Road Films will release the movie nationwide Mother's Day Weekend - May 9, 2014. The deal was announced today by Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films and Sergei Bespalov, Co-Chair and Co-CEO of Aldamisa Entertainment. Chef is the story of Carl Casper (Favreau), who loses his chef job and cooks up a food truck business in hopes of reestablishing his artistic promise. At the same time, he tries to reconnect with his estranged family. Producers are Karen Gilchrist and Aldamisa's Sergei Bespalov. Production begins in July 2013 in Los Angeles. "Led by the wildly talented Jon Favreau, this is a very exciting project with a fantastic script and a truly incredible group of actors," stated Ortenberg. "We are thrilled to be in business again with Aldamisa and to add this project to our 2014 slate." Stated Bespalov, "It's very exciting to begin production on this witty and charming project with its terrific cast, led by the multi-talented Jon Favreau."
