Searchlight PicturesSearchlight Pictures has released the first teaser trailer for Mark Mylod's upcoming black comedy The Menu. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult as Margot and Tyler, a rich young couple invited to a remote island for an exclusive dining experience. The exquisite menu is prepared by intimidating celebrity chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), whose commanding claps make his kitchen staff fall in line faster than you can say "yes, chef."
"Over the next few hours, you will ingest fat, salt, protein...and at times, entire ecosystems," Chef Slowik announces in the trailer, to the delight of his wealthy guests; dishes that are nearly indistinguishable as "food" are presented one by one. Hoult's Tyler is moved to tears by the mere concept of "eating the ocean" (though not moved enough to stop him from snapping a picture of his plate for social media). Things begin to take a turn for the terrifying as Slowik warns a skeptical Margot "you shouldn't be here tonight."
While the teaser leaves the exact items on the lavish menu a mystery, the official synopsis promises there will be "some shocking surprises" among the offerings. Also starring Judith Light, Hong Chau, and John Leguizamo, The Menu hits theaters on November 18, 2022.
Watch the mind-bending, darkly hilarious trailer below:
The Menu is Latest From Don't Look Up Producer
In an interview with IndieWire earlier this year, The Menu producer Adam McKay said of American democracy: "The key to all of it is income inequality. If we could really solve that, it will solve our political problems and the climate crisis as well. That's my soapbox."
The writer, producer, director, and actor is no stranger to standing on that soapbox in his works. In 2021's Oscar-nominated Don't Look Up, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, a giant meteor hurtling towards earth (to the indifference of the upper class) serves as an allegory for climate change; his earlier comedies, such as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) and Anchorman (2009), tackle social issues in a more subtle fashion.
As his latest film, The Menu is no exception: the black comedy takes a stab at generational wealth and the elite culinary world.
Though The Menu doesn't arrive until November, you can get a taste of Adam McKay's societal criticisms now with Don't Look Up, streaming on Netflix.