Flamin' Hot Cheetos movie coming in hot: Report

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Thursday, March 1, 2018
Flamin' Hot Cheetos movie coming in hot: Report
Fox Searchlight has reportedly acquired the rights to produce a film about Flamin' Hot Cheetos creator Richard Montanez.

LOS ANGLELES -- Flamin' Hot Cheetos fans, your favorite snack is about to get its big break.

Film studio Fox Searchlight has acquired the rights to produce a film about Flamin' Hot Cheetos creator Richard Montanez, according to Variety.

The biopic follows Montanez, who picked grapes on a Southern California farm before beginning his career with Frito-Lay as a janitor. Montanez pitched Flamin' Hot Cheetos after he spiced up an unseasoned batch of the snack with a traditional Mexican recipe including butter, cheese and chili. His take on Cheetos eventually became a billion-dollar brand and propelled him up the ranks of Pepsi-owned Frito-Lay, where he is now known as the Godfather of Multicultural Marketing.

Fox acquired the rights after a bidding war that brought multiple studios to the table, Variety reported. The project is a co-production with DeVon Franklin's Franklin Entertainment.

Fox Searchlight has not yet responded to a request for comment about the project, although Franklin has retweeted several tweets about the project.