Eva Longoria confirmed that her upcoming debut as a director with the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos movie will have as protagonists Jesse Garcia, as Richard Montanez -the snacks creator- and Annie Gonzalez will play his wife, Judy.
“Well hey you two @jessejohngarcia @annieggonzalez I’m SO excited!! It was so important for me to cast Mexican-American actors in these pivotal roles when telling Richard Montañez’s story authentically,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m beyond lucky to be able to work with them in creating this beautiful film! @hotcheetosrpm #FlaminHot,” Longoria posted in her Instagram account.
The film tells the real-life story of Mr. Montanez, a Frito-Lay janitor that was inspired by his Mexican-American heritage to create the billionaire Flamin’ Hot Cheetos snack. Montanez used to take unflavored Cheetos after a machine broke down and decided to take spices inspired by Mexican corn, including chili powder.
After experimenting with different flavors, he was able to find a recipe that he presented to the company: and he even included sample bags with his homemade concoction. His project was approved by the company, the snack was launched nationwide in 1992 and generated billions in revenue. Montanez was subsequently named Vice-president of multicultural sales and community promotions of PepsiCo, the company that owns Frito Lay.
As for the background of the actors, Garcia is well-known for his role in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner Quinceañera. On the other hand, Gonzalez is most recognized from her starring role on Netflix’s Gentefied, but also for her appearance in Vida, Shameless, East of the Mountains, and Good Girls.
The filming is set to begin this summer 2021 in New Mexico, and we are still waiting for the release date. The staff working at the film includes DeVen Franklin as producer; Taylor Friedman, Searchlight’s vice president of production; and the director of development Zahra Phillips overseeing for the studio.
