The first pictures of Hugh Grant as Tony the Tiger in Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story have been released – yes, you read that correctly.
The Notting Hill actor was snapped in a full body tiger suit on the set of the upcoming comedy directed by Jerry Seinfeld, which also stars Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, James Marsden, Christian Slater and more.
The new film is set in 1960s Michigan and follows business rivals Kellogg’s and Post as they compete to create the cake that could change breakfast forever. “A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen,” reads the synopsis.
Hugh looks like a natural in the role of the famous frosted flakes mascot, which follows his role as an Oompa Loompa in the new Wonka film starring Timothée Chalamet.
The Love Actually star appears to be sticking to his fresh commitment to “weird” roles, as he recently shared with People, adding that he was getting “into my freak phase of my career, sort of circus freaks”.
Last year, the actor joked that he’d gotten “too old and fat and ugly to do romantic comedies,” claiming that since saying farewell to romantic comedies he’d been “offered more interesting things”.
Another recently released still from Netflix also shows the Seinfeld writer, Jim Gaffigan, Fred Armisen and Melissa McCarthy in their ’60s-era costume on the set of Unfrosted.
Jerry has apparently been thinking about delving into the Pop-Tat story for some time, first mentioning the idea in 2010 on The Late Show. He also tweeted back in 2018: “At one point I was thinking about an invention of the Pop Tart movie. Imagine the drunk on sugar-power Kellogg’s cereal culture of the mid-60’s in Battle Creek, MI. That’s a vibe I could work with.”
The sitcom star recently told Empire he was a “crazy fan” of Hugh’s, adding: “[Hugh] asked me if it matters that Tony the Tiger has a British accent. I told him, ‘No, who cares?’”