La Grande Maison Paris

La Grande Maison Paris (グランメゾンパリ) is a Japanese film produced by TBS Sparkle and distributed by Toho and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, scheduled for release in winter 2024. The film is a sequel to the television series La Grande Maison Tokyo, which aired on TBS Television (Japan) in 2019.

The catchphrase for this film is "Challenge the world."

Continuing from the previous TV series, the director is Ayuko Tsukahara, who is also known for her work on the TV series Unnatural. The cuisine is supervised by Kei Kobayashi, chef of Restaurant KEI, which actually won three Michelin stars in Paris. The film continues to star Takuya Kimura, with Kyōka Suzuki, Yuta Tamamori, Kanichiro, Ayako Yoshitani, and Anne Nakamura continuing from the previous TV series, and new cast members include South Korean actor Ok Taec-yeon as patissier and Yoshinori Masakado as apprentice. Continuing from the previous TV series, the screenplay is by Tsutomu Kuroiwa and the music by Hideakira Kimura.

For starring Takuya Kimura, it has been almost nine years since Hero was released in 2015, the first time a TV series in which he starred was made into a movie. Kimura dyed his own hair blonde for the shoot to show his respect for Chef Kobayashi.

Premise
Years after La Grande Maison Tokyo was awarded three Michelin stars, Natsuki Obana and Rinko Hayami opened a new restaurant La Grande Maison Paris in Paris, the home of French cuisine. Obana's longtime dream was to win three Michelin stars in Paris. However, it is difficult to obtain satisfactory ingredients in a foreign country. After a failure at a Gala Dinner, Obana makes a promise to his former master that if he does not win the three Michelin stars at the next Michelin event, he will quit the restaurant and leave France. It is the story of Natsuki Obana, once a charismatic chef, together with his colleagues, overcoming setbacks and border barriers in their quest to win three Michelin stars, the world's highest honor.

Cast

 * Natsuki Obana
 * Acted by Takuya Kimura
 * Protagonist. He is an unconventional chef who has absolute confidence in his abilities and is willing to make sacrifices for the sake of his cuisine. He is opening a new restaurant in Paris, La Grande Maison Paris, and aims to become the first Asian to win three Michelin stars in Paris.


 * Rinko Hayami
 * Acted by Kyōka Suzuki
 * She supports Obana as sous chef. She has an absolute sense of taste and knows the ingredients and their preparation process just by eating the food.


 * Rick Yuan
 * Acted by Ok Taec-yeon
 * Pastry chef in charge of desserts. Korean-Canadian who is skilled enough to own his own restaurant in Paris. He speaks three languages, Korean, French and Japanese.


 * Tasuku Kogure
 * Acted by Yoshinori Masakado
 * He works as an apprentice, mostly buying groceries. He speaks in the Japanese Kansai dialect and is a mood maker in the workplace with his cheerful personality.


 * Shohei Hirako
 * Acted by Yuta Tamamori
 * Chef at La Grande Maison Paris.


 * Kouichi Serita
 * Acted by Kanichiro
 * Division Chef at La Grande Maison Paris.


 * Moe Matsui
 * Acted by Ayako Yoshitani
 * Pastry chef at La Grande Maison Paris.


 * Kanna Kuzumi
 * Acted by Anne Nakamura
 * Hall Staff and Sommeliers at La Grande Maison Paris.


 * Linda Machiko Richard
 * Acted by Ai Tominaga
 * Food Influencer. Her reputation is a major factor in the restaurant's reputation.


 * Kamehito Aizawa
 * Acted by Mitsuhiro Oikawa
 * Chef at La Grande Maison Paris.


 * Rikutaro Kyono
 * Acted by Ikki Sawamura
 * Hall Manager. Responsible for the management of the entire floor. He has also worked as a chef in the past.

Development
The TV series La Grande Maison Tokyo, which aired in 2019, was well received and received high ratings. Since in the last episode, Obana hinted that he would continue his challenge abroad next, many viewers expressed a desire for a sequel after the broadcast. However, due to the proliferation of COVID-19 from 2020, a sequel could not be filmed. Kyōka Suzuki, a main cast member, had taken a break from acting for health reasons since May 2023, but in March 2024, it was reported that a special episode of La Grande Maison Tokyo would be broadcast at the end of that year, and that Suzuki would make a comeback with this special episode. In June, it was announced that a sequel set in Paris as La Grande Maison Paris would be made into a movie. The film is a sequel to the special episode as a prequel, with the first-class colleagues at La Grande Maison Tokyo led by Obana and their new additions aiming to win three Michelin stars in Paris. Filming for this special episode and the film took place from January to March 2024 after the COVID-19 infection converged, with extensive filming on location in Paris, France, which was hosting 2024 Summer Olympics in March. Kimura and the rest of the main cast took on the challenge of performing the same amount of lines in French as they did in Japanese. Both are scheduled for release in winter 2024.

Producer Hidenori Iyoda said that in making La Grande Maison Paris, he was delighted with the TV series that was partly shoot in Paris, but was excited to be able to go there again, this time to shoot a movie. In making the film, he interviewed many chefs and observed them cooking. He said that he was again impressed by the fact that they put their lives on the line to cook. He said that the highlights of this film are the atmosphere created by shooting in Paris, the reality of the images created by working with Parisian staff, and the realistic cooking scenes made possible by the supervision of Kei Kobayashi, a chef who has actually won three Michelin stars in Paris.

Casting
Takuya Kimura, the lead actor, said that all the cast and staff of La Grande Maison Tokyo were special attached to this film, so he was happy to see them again after five years. His character, Obana, had always dreamed of winning three Michelin stars in Paris, but had never achieved it, so Kimura thought it's a big deal that he is trying again to achieve his dream. Actress Kyoka Suzuki said that La Grande Maison Tokyo is one of the most important works she has ever appeared in and received good feedback from many people, so she was very happy to be able to come to Paris, her favorite city, for the film adaptation of this work.

In this film, two new young actors joined the cast as La Grande Maison Paris staff. South Korean actor and singer Ok Taec-yeon, a member of boy band 2PM, made his first appearance in a Japanese film. In addition to his music career, he has been pursuing his acting career since his appearance in Cinderella's Stepsister broadcast on KBS2 in 2010, and is also known for his acting skills as he played a villain in Vincenzo broadcast in Korea in 2021. He said in an interview, "I'm sad that the filming is over. I was able to make many memories in Japan and Paris. In Paris, I had time to relax and even went out for dinner with my co-stars. I was able to go sightseeing in Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower, and I thought it was such a fun experience. As I worked on the film together with actors and staff from many different countries, I felt that the pursuit of dreams is the same regardless of country. I believe that we were able to express in the story of this film that we are all working together toward the same goal. I hope that when you see the characters pursuing their dreams, you too will receive the courage to say, 'If you aim for it, you can do it!.'" Yoshinori Masakado is a member of Japanese boy band Ae! group. Ae! group made its CD debut in May 2024, but Masakado had been an actor since his trainee days in the Kansai region of Japan. He first appeared in BS Nippon Corporation's TV series Love Sickness and the Bastard Gang in 2019, and then went on to an acting career that included playing the protagonist's sister's lover in NHK asadora TV series Scarlet and a solo stage lead role in Vincent in Brixton in 2022. He said in an interview, "I am very happy because I never thought I would be able to work with Mr. Kimura, who is my great senior, at my age. I had a very luxurious time working with veteran actors. I would like to grow and cherish what I have learned here. I am very attached to the character I played, so I hope I will leave a lasting impression among the unique characters. The story of the movie is like a shonen manga, and I was moved by the joy of winning more victories. I myself am looking forward to seeing the finished film."

Music
Continuing from TV series, the music is by Hideakira Kimura. The film's theme music is an orchestral arrangement of familiar music from the previous TV series.

Staff

 * Director by Ayuko Tsukahara
 * Screenplay by Tsutomu Kuroiwa
 * Music by Hideakira Kimura
 * Culinary Supervisor: Kei Kobayashi (Restaurant KEI)
 * Producer by Hidenori Iyoda, Keiko Matsumoto and Masanobu Yamada
 * Production company by TBS Sparkle
 * Distributor by Toho, Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan

Release
The film La Grande Maison Paris is scheduled for release in winter 2024.