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Synopsis: 
Hao was once a famous chef but his Chinese restaurant is now an unpopular destination due to changing tastes of modern people. He despises the fact that people nowadays do not respect traditional dishes and has become a bitter old man who is difficult to deal with. Hao's only hope is that his grandson Mark enters a prestigious university, but Mark's dream is to follow his grandfather's footsteps and become a chef and take over the restaurant.

Due to Hao's difficult personality, the restaurant is on the verge of bankruptcy and he finally collapses. In order to save the restaurant, Mark enters a cooking contest without his grandfather's knowledge and consent in Shanghai. He competes against talented chefs from Japan, Korea and Australia, and freely shows of ravishing cooking skills that he has accumulated from his grandfather over the years.

Meanwhile, contest producer Julia hopes that her husband and world-renowned chef David enters the contest and rediscovers his love for cooking. As Mark wins round after round and gains attention, Julia notices something particular about him, then she slowly realizes that Mark and her husband David resemble each other...   (Fortissimo Films)

Final Recipe News: 
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Film images © CJ Entertainment / Bang Singapore / A Grand Elephant Productions

(05/15/13) Final Recipe is currently (still) under "post production" and it is on Fortissimo Films's "Upcoming Films" list for Cannes.


When you enter the world of cooking you enter a universe of passion, talent, egos, energy, and style. Family is the secret ingredient.

(04/09/13) Images from Final Recipe:


(03/24/13) Michelle and her upcoming Final Recipe were featured in Hollywood Reporter, issue of March 18. According to the article, the film will be released in the summer. Michelle was honored with the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award at the 7th Asian Film Awards last week in Hong Kong.


(03/19/13) Final Recipe poster image. (A Grand Elephant Productions)

(03/11/13) According to Hong Kong media, it is planned that some footage of Michelle's Final Recipe will be shown during the Cannes Film Festival in May.

(02/21/13) "Family is the secret ingredient." Actually the title for this film was originally "Missing Ingredient", and then changed to "Cooktales" and finally "Final Recipe".


(02/10/13) When attedning a Chinese New Year open house in her hometown Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, Michelle told reporters that Final Recipe is expected to be completed either in April or May this year. "We are hoping to get it ready for the Cannes Film Festival to be held in May," said Michelle.

(02/06/13) CJ Entertainment and Fortissimo Films will be introducing Final Recipe to buyers at the European Film Market (EFM) during the Berlinale 2013. According to "Screen Daily," CJ produced and fully financed the film which is currently in post-production. Fortissimo executive produced and is handling sales in European territories while CJ handles the rest of the world. Bang Singapore and A Grand Elephant Productions co-produced with CJ.

"Set in Singapore, the film stars Michelle Yeoh as the producer of a TV show that pits local chefs against each other," reported "Screen Daily." "Henry Lau, a member of pop group Super Junior M, plays a young chef who enters the competition in an attempt to save his family's restaurant. Chin Han (The Dark Knight, 2012) also stars."

(02/05/13) - Michelle is officially listed as one of the executive producers of the film. The international sales of Final Recipe are being handled by Fortissimo Films which previously handled Michelle's Reign of Assassins.

According to "Korea Herald," the film tells the story of young aspiring chef Mark (played by Henry Lau), who decides to participate in an international cooking contest in an attempt to save his grandfather's restaurant from going out of business. Lau is a Hong Kong-Canadian, and is known to speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and English.

As reported earlier, Michelle plays an executive producer on a prestigious television cooking show. The film is described as a family drama and romantic comedy. Much of the post production has been done in Korea.

- Teaser images:


(01/16/13) The official title of the film is Final Recipe (formerly Cooktales).

(12/06/12) - During her recent visit to Taiwan, Michelle promised Taiwanese media that she will bring her new film (Cooktales) to Taipei next year. According to the media, the film can be expected for a release around March or April.

- In an interview with Chin Han, the Singapore-born actor who plays one of the lead roles in the film described it as a "romantic comedy". "It's about master chefs," said Chin Han, "and I get to do a lot of cooking."

(10/15/12) Korea's CJ Entertainment introduced some of their upcoming movies at the CJ Night held during the 17th Busan Film Festival which ended last Friday. Some footage from Cooktales were shown.

(10/08/12) CJ Entertainment announced that Cooktales is scheduled for release next year.

(09/21/12) Last week, director Gina Kim attended a special screening and discussion of Michelle's The Lady, directed by Luc Besson, in South Korea.

Director Kim talked about The Lady, Michelle, Cooktales, and the Korean film industry. She complimented Michelle, saying that she is "the best actress in Asia." Speaking about shooting Cooktales with Michelle, Kim said: "Actors usually try to save their energy and don't really bother if it isn't their part. But Michelle is different. She gave 120% effort in helping newcomer Henry Lau's parts too (even when she was not on camera)."

Kim said Cooktales is an English language film setting in Shanghai.
(for a photo of the event please see News)

(08/10/12) Cooktales is heading towards the final leg of the post-production, according to Keiko Bang, president of Bang Singapore.

(08/06/12) HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!!

(07/18/12) More sneak photos from Cooktales set, taken before the principal photography in Thailand was completed in the middle of June.


(06/13/12) Thailand filming of Cooktales will wrap up soon.


(06/07/12) More Cooktales set photos:


(06/05/12) Photos: Michelle with some cast and crew members, May 2012.   ("Facebook" photos)


(06/01/12) "Three generations of men are separated for pursuing their own ideals. I am the woman who tries to bring them back together. The background of the story is a cooking show," Michelle spoke about Cooktales during media interviews when she attended a fashion show yesterday. "I'm having a pleasant and easy time. Everyone else worked very hard to learn cooking - chopping, dishes, dumplings, noodles, etc., I just relax and taste their food," said Michelle with a smile. Asked if she has gained weight with all the good food, Michele said "a little bit" and she laughed: "I was worried that I would not be able to fit in this dress!" She said she doesn't usually cook herself since she travels so much and often lives in hotels. (see News for videos and photos from the event)

Asked if she plans to do more action films, Michelle said she hopes so and she has several action films under consideration.

(05/27/12) More sneak photos from the Cooktales set:


Uh, it looks like Michelle is acting like... herself. Comparing to her last Bangkok filming on the Aung San Suu Kyi film The Lady in which she had to lose 10kg, go on a strict diet, become a marathon runner, and memorize speeches in Burmese, etc., no wonder Michelle said she would take it easy this time. Maybe the only possible dangers are the heat in Bangkok (keep cool Michelle!) or, the high heels - well, I assume at least this time she won't need to deliver deadly kicks in them as she did in some of her films!

(05/24/12) Film Business Asia: Yeoh stirred by CJ Cooktales
According to the report, Cooktales shooting is expected to continue to the end of June, with a release scheduled for the end of 2012 or early 2013.

(05/22/12) Michelle rushed back to her home state Perak, Malaysia for receiving the honor of the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak award. Congratulations Datuk Seri Michelle! (event photos)   She left Bangkok on Monday evening after her filming of the day and only stayed in Malaysia for less than 24 hours before returning to Bangkok.

Filming locations in Thailand include Workpoint and Bangkok International Airport. Bangkok has been boiling hot (reached 104F/40C)...

Some sneak photos from film sets:


(05/09/12) Michelle's new film, Cooktales (working title), started filming in Bangkok, Thailand in the middle of April.

Set in Singapore, the story is written and directed by South Korea's writer-director Gina Kim (Never Forever). The project was first announced at AFM in November 2010. The production was planned to begin last summer in Singapore and China before Michelle's busy promotional tour on her latest film The Lady. It got postponed to this year because the director fell sick before the scheduled shooting.

In recent interviews Michelle said the film is a family drama and about cooking. Personal differences break apart a family of three generations and cooking brings them back together. Singaporean actor Chin Han (The Dark Knight) and Chinese Canadian singer-songwriter-dancer Henry Lau will play father and son. Other cast members include Hong Kong actor Chang Tseng (2012), Australian actor Aden Young (Mao's Last Dancer), Japanese model and actress Lika Minamoto, Korean American actor and comedian Bobby Lee (MADtv), and Broadway actress Lori Tan Chinn. Some of the main and supporting actors were in Bangkok in March, learning cooking in preparation for the shooting.

Michelle's character in the film is described as an "executive producer on a prestigious television cooking show" and "culinary grand master". More relationships will be revealed as we learn more about the story. The film is being shot in English.