Here’s Everything We Know About Eva Longoria’s ‘Flamin’ Hot’ Biopic

Eva Longoria’s directorial feature debut, Flamin’ Hot, has finally landed a premiere date and found a home. The film will begin streaming on Hulu on June 9, 2023.

According to Hulu, the film tells “the inspiring story of Richard Montañez, the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.”

It’s important to note that the official synopsis from Hulu does not reference Montañez as the inventor of this specific Cheeto, a claim Montañez had been making for 20 years. After the film was greenlit, the L.A. Times wrote an investigative piece that said Montañez’s claim was false.

“We value Richard’s many contributions to our company, especially his insights into Hispanic consumers, but we do not credit the creation of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or any Flamin’ Hot products to him,” Frito-Lay’s statement reads.

Montañez pushed back in an interview with Variety saying: “I was their greatest ambassador. But I will say this, you’re going to love your company more than they will ever love you, keep that in perspective.”

In June 2021, Longoria told Remezcla that she was “absolutely” confident in making this film even after the Times article was published. The film is based on his book Flamin’ Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Rise from Janitor to Top Executive.

“[Richard’s] story has always been the story we wanted to tell,” Longoria said. “We’ve never faltered or stepped away from it. I can’t wait for people to watch it. It’s inspirational [and] aspirational and nobody can take that away from Richard.”

In an interview earlier this month with People, Longoria said Montañez is “more known as the godfather of Hispanic marketing than the creator of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.”

Flamin’ Hot will make its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March.