Strap in: Jerry Seinfeld will drink… your… cereal milk. He’ll drink it up! Or something to that effect, anyway – the legendary comedian is making his feature directorial debut with Unfrosted, a film about (of all things) the origin of Pop-Tarts; the beloved toaster pastry that crashed onto the breakfast scene in the ‘60s. And this being a Jerry Seinfeld film, it’s going to be packed with stars and comedians (Hugh Grant as Tony The Tiger, anyone?), and allusions to some of the greatest films of all time – including none other than There Will Be Blood. Oh, and The Godfather.
“Do you remember the scene in The Right Stuff where Jeff Goldblum and Harry Shearer are running down the hall, and they burst into the darkened boardroom and they go, ‘It’s called… Sputnik!’? That’s what this movie is,” Seinfeld tells Empire, teasing the vision. Quite how Francis Ford Coppola’s mafia masterpiece and Paul Thomas Anderson’s oil story factor into things, remains to be seen. “We steal from every movie we could think of because we love movies,” reasons Seinfeld.
The other key influence? Mad Men, whose corporate ‘60s environment plays heavily into the Pop-Tarts origin story. “I’m obsessed with that show. That, mixed with the dumbness of the cereal world – you know, stuffy executives discussing tarts and flakes and frosting – just struck me as a fun world to be in,” he says. Playing in that sandpit was a personal dream for the filmmaker and star. “I always wanted to be an adult when I was a kid,” explains Seinfeld. “I wanted to look like adults looked in the ‘60s, but by the time I got to be an adult they didn’t look like that anymore. So this was a chance to go back and do that look.” From its style to its cinematic touchpoints, Unfrosted looks set to really… well, pop.
Read Empire’s full story on Unfrosted – speaking to Jerry Seinfeld about his feature directorial debut and his love of Pop-Tarts – in the Furiosa issue, on sale Thursday 14 March. Pre-order a copy online here. Unfrosted is streaming on Netflix from 3 May.