THE FOUNDER - Exclusive Story Featurette

Next week brings the wide release of The Founder to theaters across the nation. Michael Keaton stars in the movie as Ray Kroc, the man who took a family-owned burger diner in Southern California and turned it into the fast food empire known as McDonald’s, and he has some awards buzz for a potential Oscar nomination. <br /> <br />If there was any doubt about what he pours into this performance, a new featurette for The Founder has been released, focusing on Michael Keaton and just how much the director, producers and fellow cast members love him. Plus, there’s a bunch of new footage from the movie showcasing Keaton’s performance. Watch The Founder featurette after the jump. <br /> <br />Directed by John Lee Hancock (Saving Mr. Banks), The Founder features the true story of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. Writer Robert Siegel (The Wrestler) details how Kroc maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire. The film also stars Laura Dern as Ray Kroc’s first wife Ethel; John Carroll Lynch as Mac McDonald and Nick Offerman as Dick McDonald. <br /> <br />The Founder is in limited release now but opens wide on January 20.