A movie called Flamin' Hot will trace the fiery origins of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. And fans of the cult-favorite snack are already eating up the news.
Texas-born actress Eva Longoria will direct the film, according to a report from Deadline. It'll feature the real story of Richard Montañez, a Mexican-American man who was once a janitor at a Frito-Lay plant in Southern California.
According to Newsweek, Montañez dropped out of school in the fourth grade and had trouble reading and writing. After days of working at Frito-Lay as a young adult, a CNBC story says he'd tinker with plain Cheetos at home, sprinkling them with chili powder — kind of like what he'd put on top of elotes. He pitched the idea to Frito-Lay's CEO, and his hot idea was a hit.
Flamin' Hot Cheetos debuted in 1992. And, notably, Frito-Lay is headquartered here in North Texas, in Plano.
Eventually, Montañez worked his way up through the company and was an executive at PepsiCo.
Though Flamin' Hot Cheetos have been on store shelves for decades, they've become a foodie phenomenon in the past few years.
Millennial-focused restaurants like Richardson shop OMG Tacos tops its tacos and burritos with Flamin' Hot Cheetos. The Texas Rangers' concessions group debuted a new hot dog in 2016 with the fiery chips. And Sprinkles — yeah, the cupcake shop — tested out a dessert filled with crushed Flamin' Hot Cheetos and topped with white-cheddar frosting.
If there were ever a perfect time to put Flamin' Hot Cheetos on the big screen, it's now.
