'Ratatouille' inspiration Bernard Loiseau to get biopic from 'Hippocrate' director

A new biopic is in the works about legendary French chef Bernard Loiseau, whose life helped inspire elements of Pixar’s Ratatouille.

According to Variety, the film will be written and directed by Thomas Lilti, best known for Hippocrate. The project is being produced by Chi-Fou-Mi Productions, part of Mediawan, alongside 31 Juin Films, with Loiseau’s family closely involved.

Loiseau was one of France’s most celebrated chefs, earning three Michelin stars for his renowned restaurant La Côte d’Or and becoming a major figure in global gastronomy during the 1980s and 1990s.

His legacy also extended into pop culture. The chef is widely believed to have partly inspired the character of Auguste Gusteau in Ratatouille, the Oscar-winning Pixar film directed by Brad Bird.

The upcoming biopic will explore both Loiseau’s professional brilliance and the intense pressures of the culinary world. Director Lilti has indicated the film will focus on themes such as excellence, ambition and the personal toll of perfectionism.

Loiseau died in 2003 at the age of 52, following reports that he feared losing one of his Michelin stars, a tragedy that shocked the culinary world and continues to shape discussions around the pressures faced by elite chefs.

Casting details and a production timeline have not yet been announced. However, with strong backing and a compelling real-life story, the project is already generating significant industry interest.