Alexander Payne’s work always has at least a touch of the comedic, but apparently 2017's shrinking Matt Damon movie Downsizing didn’t do enough to scratch the Nebraska and Sideways director’s funny itch. According to Variety, Payne is working with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s production company Gary Sanchez for The Menu, a “comedic horror-thriller” written by Will Tracy and Seth Reiss. The movie is reportedly set in the “world of high-end culinary culture” and focuses on two people who get a chance to eat at an exclusive restaurant hidden on an island “where the acclaimed chef has prepared a lavish tasting menu, along with some shocking surprises.”
That’s all we can get from Variety’s synopsis, but come on. It’s people, right? They’re eating people? Unless these are people with dark secrets and stunning revelations being served dinner, the only shocking surprise we can think of when it comes to high-end culinary culture is eating people. Anyway, the project is expected to go into production this summer, and it will be Payne’s next movie.