Screw It, Here’s a Wishlist for the Perfect Live-Action ‘Ratatouille’ Adaptation with Josh O’Connor

You sickos have finally done it. Forced us into a conversation we thought was reserved for socials and online forums but is now turning mainstream. Are you happy? Do you feel proud of yourselves? It all started innocently enough, according to Vulture, when a commenter posted on a Q&A with Josh O’Connor in 2020, saying, “Josh could easily play Alfredo Linguini in [a] ‘Ratatouille’ movie.”

Not much was made of the comment initially, but in 2021, O’Connor admitted in an interview with Odessa Young that “Ratatouille” holds a soft spot in his heart and is one of the few films that can get him crying. Years later, he would add to this as he was making and marketing his recent films “La Chimera” and “Challengers,” saying Zendaya was a fan of ‘Ratatouille’ as well and that she and co-star Mike Faist would have viewing parties of it with him in between filming. O’Connor named it as one of his “Four Favorites” for Letterboxd, and during a later interview, the “Challengers” trio could talk about little else. On the red carpet at the U.K. premiere, O’Connor also said it was one of the last four films he’d watched. Little did he know the fervor this would all unleash. A day later, socials were afire with fancasts, most of which — in this writer’s humble opinion — were straight trash.

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O’Connor is his generation’s Montgomery Clift. He’s an artist. If he’s going to be involved in a live-action adaptation of the utterly delectable 2007 Pixar masterpiece “Ratatouille,” it can’t be a simple cut-and-paste. In fact, “adaptation” feels too small a word to describe what would have to be done to make this project worth O’Connor’s talents. For him to take on “Ratatouille,” it would have to be an entire reimagining. What is at the core of this narrative that sees a lowly French rat (or American? Unclear) rise to the height of Parisian cuisine through the physical (consensual) manipulation of a gangly, red-headed mop boy? How do we take advantage of all of O’Connor’s abilities to tell this story? If it’s live action, should real rats be used? Let’s dig in. Here are all of IndieWire’s ideas for how to make the perfect Josh O’Connor “Ratatouille” adaptation.

Josh O’Connor Plays Every Character

Wait.

Right?

No, how?

Exactly.

This idea is going to take a second for people to adjust to, but once you see it, you’ll know it’s the only way to go. Just think about it. Don’t we want O’Connor to go ginger and throw freckles on to play Alfredo? Obviously. Would he not perfectly carry the pathos of untapped potential exhibited in Remy? A-doi. Will his Anton Ego not earn him his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor? Only if he loses to himself for his performance as Gusteau (Goes full “Raging Bull,” gains 200 pounds).

Now you’re probably thinking, why would he do this? What would he be saying in approaching the material this way? That’s simple. “Ratatouille” has been and will always be an adroit study of forced externalization of the inner being. Look at every character and the journey they take, together and individually, throughout the film and you will find each one changed as a result of long-held inner conflicts finally being released. By having O’Connor play every role, we’re allowing that theme to shine through in a visually fascinating way that will also make it stand apart from the animated feature. It’s definitely not unheard of — Eddie Murphy made an entire career off it — and provides O’Connor an outlet to explore his range, which brings me to my next point…

Don’t Use Motion Capture, Just Make O’Connor a Rat

Do we even really have to explain this one? It’s not that we don’t like motion capture or don’t understand how silly it is to expect a human actor be taken seriously in rat makeup and prosthetics, but it’s Josh O’Connor we’re talking about here. Think about Danny DeVito as The Penguin in “Batman Returns.” Is that not an image that will stay with you forever? Let’s embrace the power of cinema and give O’Connor the same treatment. Obviously, we don’t want to make him as horrifying as Danny DeVito’s Penguin, it’s a kids movie. But still, “Ratatouille” anthropomorphizes a rat anyway — so let’s go the distance for a live-action adaptation instead of just repeating what’s been done.

Now how exactly would this be shot? Best strategy would probably be two sets. One that goes “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and makes everything huge so O’Connor appears rat-sized, then another that’s normal proportions for O’Connor to play everyone else. Would this be unnecessarily expensive? Please. Disney has done way more unnecessary things for way dumber reasons. It can give us this.

Focus on Making Us Hungry

This isn’t a diss on the animated original in any way (Don’t come for me, “Ratatouille” stans), but it’s hard for something that’s drawn and graphically designed to actually seem appetizing. The film goes to great lengths to make everything appear tasty and often succeeds, but it doesn’t have the same effect of seeing real food. Take this past year’s “The Taste of Things,” another film that deals in French cuisine. The magic of that film is in the food. Even if it were just shots of Juliette Binoche cooking the whole way through, it would’ve been astounding. Other classic pieces of cinema like “Babette’s Feast” and “Big Night” have taken similar approaches and even just thinking about those films makes viewers hungry to this day. If a live-action adaptation of “Ratatouille” put more attention on capturing Remy and Alfredo cooking — instead of just reserving these moments for montage as done in the animated version — it might offer new elements of beauty, friendship, and passion to the narrative.

Full Frontal Nudity, Including Rat Sex

Wait, no, come back! Hear me out!

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