■ “Three stars in Paris was something that Obana had always strived for, but it was out of reach, so I thought it would be a huge challenge to reach that goal.” (Takuya Kimura)
It has been decided that the drama “Grand Maison Tokyo” starring Takuya Kimura will be made into a movie. The movie “Grand Maison Paris” will be released in theaters nationwide in the winter of 2024.
Grand Maison Tokyo, which aired on TBS’s Sunday Theatre slot (every Sunday at 9pm) in 2019, has garnered many fans. Kimura Takuya plays Obana, a French chef who devotes his life to cooking, but loses his two-star restaurant in Paris and all his friends due to a serious incident brought about by his own arrogance. At that time, Obana, who had fallen to rock bottom, meets Michiko, a female chef played by Suzuki Kyoka, and starts life over as a chef again. The drama, which depicts Obana’s struggle to create a three-star restaurant in Japan, “Grand Maison Tokyo,” despite clashes with those around him, has been a hot topic since it aired, with many calling for a sequel.
In January, the official website and official SNS announced that the “Grand Maison Project has begun,” and while there were cheers of joy at the restart, a special drama was announced in March, depicting what happens after “Grand Maison Tokyo” receives three stars. As the full details of the project, which had been shrouded in mystery, are gradually revealed, the film adaptation has also been announced.
The lead role is played by Kimura Takuya, who is active at the forefront as both an artist and an actor, and is always challenging himself. With numerous representative works and a solid career under his belt, Kimura is still active as an actor, with his own drama starring him being broadcast every year in recent years. He returns to the big screen for the first time in five years as chef Obana, who does not tolerate any compromise when it comes to cooking, a character who is similar to Kimura’s own stoicism. This will be the first time in about nine years that a drama starring Kimura has been made into a movie, since “HERO” was released in 2015.
The film is set outside of Japan in Paris, the home of French cuisine. Large-scale location shooting took place in Paris in March, and the main cast, including Kimura, took on the challenge of acting in French, with the same amount of dialogue as in Japanese.
Suzuki Kyoka plays Hayami Rinko, the right-hand man who supports Obana, played by Kimura. In the drama, Rinko becomes a chef at a three-star restaurant called “Grand Maison Tokyo” that opens in Japan, but it will be interesting to see how she performs in the movie.
In addition, the cast members from the TV series, including Sawamura Ikki (Hall Manager/Rikutaro Kyono), Oikawa Mitsuhiro (Chef/Binto Aizawa), Tamamori Yuta (Kis-My-Ft2) (Chef/Shohei Hirako), Kanichiro (Division Chef/Koichi Serida), Yoshitani Ayako (Pastry Chef/Moe Matsui), Nakamura Anne (Hall Staff & Sommelier/Kusumi Kana), and Tominaga Ai (Food Influencer/Linda Machiko Richard), will also be reuniting, and the team of director Tsukahara Ayuko and scriptwriter Kuroiwa Tsutomu will continue. Expectations are high for the new Grand Maison spun by the cast and staff who have captured the hearts of many viewers with their careful direction and rich expressiveness.
The film’s culinary supervision will be handled by Chef Kobayashi Kei of “Restaurant KEI,” who in 2020 became the first Asian chef to receive three stars in France. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a miracle for a chef in a foreign country to receive three stars for a private restaurant, and even now, five years later, “Restaurant KEI” remains the only Asian restaurant to receive three stars in the Michelin Guide France. In honor of Chef Kobayashi, Kimura dyed his own hair blonde and approached the filming with great passion. Set in Paris, the home of French cuisine known as the world’s best, the story of Obana and his team as they attempt to become the first Asian chef to receive three stars is sure to catch your attention.
■ Comment from Takuya Kimura
All the cast and staff were very passionate about this work, so I was happy to be able to meet everyone again in this role. It’s been five years since I’ve been back, but I had the strong impression that the role had been alive and well for each of us for five years. I thought it was a big goal when I got three Michelin stars in Japan for “Grand Maison Tokyo,” but Obana himself had always been trying to get three stars in Paris, which was something he had never been able to reach, so I thought it was a very big challenge to reach for it.
This time, I was also trying to learn French, and there were times when I felt like I wasn’t stretching my wings as Obana, but it was a rich experience for all the cast and staff to seek the director’s OK and have a session of acting. When I read the bound script, I felt like it would be impossible to film it and get three stars in Paris, but that was just my own opinion, and I realized that it was possible with the support of many people, and I am very grateful.
I’m really happy that we’ve had such a great reaction to the launch of the “Grand Maison Project,” and although it’s difficult for you to actually eat the food, there will be so much delicious food that you’ll want to smell it. I think that Obana and the other members of “Grand Maison Paris” are putting their all into preparing each and every dish, so I hope everyone will enjoy it at the theater.■Comment from Kyoka Suzuki
I was able to work with everyone again on the special drama and the movie, and although it went by in a flash, the filming in Paris was very fulfilling. It was a strange feeling as memories from the serial drama came back to me.
“Grand Maison Tokyo” is an important drama among all the jobs I’ve done, as so many people have told me “I watched it” and “I loved it.” I was extremely happy to be able to come to Paris, a city that I’ve always loved, for the film adaptation of that drama!
This time, Rinko had to become the important right-hand man of Obana, who was aiming for a three-star award, so I tried to stay focused so that I could keep up with the enthusiasm of Kimura-san, who played Obana. Among them, there were also mood makers like Sawamura-san and Oikawa-san who lightened the mood, so it was a really wonderful team.
I realized that dramas, movies, and restaurants cannot be made by one person alone, and they can only be successful when everyone’s efforts come together.
I was happy to be able to take part in a production in which each of them gave their best effort.■ Comment from Hidenori Iyoda (Producer)
I am very happy to be able to produce the movie Grand Maison Paris. I was also happy to be able to shoot the opening scene of the TV series in Paris, but it was like a dream to be able to go to Paris again, and to shoot a movie there. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the cast, including Kimura Takuya who plays Obana, Suzuki Kyoka who plays Michiko, Sawamura Ikki, Oikawa Mitsuhiro, and all the other staff members who supported me.
In making this film, I spoke to many chefs and witnessed them cooking, and was once again moved by the way they put their lives on the line when it comes to cooking. I also felt that I had to put my life on the line, so I asked the screenwriter Kuroiwa-san and the director Tsukahara-san to give it their all. Furthermore, the cast, including Kimura-san, acted with all their heart, and there were many surprises on set.
I think this is the best movie ever made. The atmosphere created by filming in Paris, the reality of the images that could only be achieved by working with the Parisian staff, and the realistic cooking scenes made possible by having three-star chef Kobayashi Kei supervise are some of the highlights.
Will Obana be able to get three stars? We hope you’ll look forward to it.
Movie Information
“Grand Maison Paris”
Winter 2024: Toho cinemas nationwide
Cast: Takuya Kimura, Kyoka Suzuki, Yuta Tamamori, Kanichiro, Ayako Yoshitani, Anne Nakamura, Ai Tominaga, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Ikki Sawamura and others
Director: Ayuko Tsukahara
Screenplay: Tsutomu Kuroiwa
Food Supervision: Kei Kobayashi (Restaurant KEI)
Production company: TBS SPARKLE
Distributor: Toho, Sony Pictures Entertainment
(c)2024 “Grand Maison Paris” Film Production Committee
■ Story
Some time has passed since “Grand Maison Tokyo” was awarded “three stars” in Japan, and Obana Natsuki (Kimura Takuya) and Hayami Rinko (Suzuki Kyoka) have opened a new restaurant, “Grand Maison Paris,” in Paris, the home of French cuisine, and are working hard to become the first Asian chef to receive a Michelin “three stars.” Obana’s long-cherished dream is to receive “three stars” in French cuisine in France, where famous masters compete fiercely. However, for a chef in a foreign country, even obtaining satisfactory ingredients is a high hurdle, and being selected for “three stars” is a dream beyond a dream. “Grand Maison Paris” has been unable to produce results for days. Then, due to a blunder at a gala dinner, he makes a promise with his former teacher that “if he does not receive three stars in the next Michelin, he will quit the restaurant and leave France.” Will Obana Natsuki, once known as a charismatic chef, be able to overcome setbacks and the barriers of national borders and earn the world’s highest honor of “three stars” together with his teammates? Team Grand Maison’s passionate “final challenge” begins now.
Movie site
https://grandmaison-project.jp/
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