(Photo Credit: Getty/Bauer-Griffin)
Have you always wanted to learn about the story behind America’s favorite spicy snack?
Eva Longoria has signed on to direct Fox Searchlight’s biopic about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos creator Richard Montañez. Titled “Flamin’ Hot,” the biopic will tell the story of Montañez, son of Mexican immigrant farmworkers, who started out as a janitor at the Frito-Lay factory in Rancho Cucamonga, California before going on to become the “godfather of multicultural marketing.”
As the story goes, Montañez used to take rejected, cheese-less corn puffs from the factory back home and added chili powder to them, as a nod to the recipe for Mexican elotes. Pleased with the results, Montañez pitched his Cheetos recipe to the company’s CEO.
As revealed in his book, “A Boy, a Burrito, and a Cookie,” “[Y]ou weren’t supposed to call the CEO,” who at the time was Roger Enrico. The pitch was successful, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos became one of the brand’s most popular products.
Longoria beat out multiple directors for the job, but she has experience in the field, having directed episodes of “Black-ish,” “The Mick,” and “Jane the Virgin.” In other news, more real-life stories about junk foods will be hitting the big screen. A McDonald’s Monopoly saga titled “McMillions” in the works, telling the story of one of America’s favorite fast-food restaurants.
By: Maytinee Kramer
