Everything We Know About The Upcoming 'Nobu' Series
Japanese-born chef Nobu Matsuhisa is perhaps best known as the namesake of 47 restaurants worldwide, but he's also a partner — along with actor Robert De Niro and film producer Meir Teper — in a global chain of 27 luxury Nobu Hotels, and soon, Variety reports, he will be the subject and namesake of a four-part documentary series.
"Nobu" the series is still early in the pre-production phase, but already has some notable names attached. According to Variety, the docuseries is being produced by AGC Television, hot off its success with the Netflix documentary "Tinder Swindler," which was released earlier this year. Attached as co-producers are Gianni Nunnari's production company Hollywood Gang Productions and the entertainment company Altimeter, co-founded by Matt Tyrnauer and Corey Reeser.
Tyrnauer has been tabbed to direct "Nobu," following an impressive string of directorial efforts. These include his first documentary, "Valentino: The Last Emperor," about fashion designer Valentino, released in 2008; and more recent projects like the television mini-series documentaries "The Reagans" and "The Rise and Fall of Victoria's Secret," which is currently in post-production, per IMDb.
The series offers both drama and celebrity appeal
How much drama can there be in the story of a chef and hotelier? More than you might think. Not only has Nobu Matsuhisa's story taken him around the world — from Japan and Peru to Argentina and Alaska — but the peripatetic chef has also seen his share of career peaks and valleys.
Born in 1949 in Saitama, Japan, where his parents had moved during World War II, Nobuyuki Mastuhisa grew up in the restaurant business, as his hotel chain bio confirms. By the age of 12, he was working in a family-owned sushi restaurant in Tokyo. At 24, per CNN, he was the minority-partner in a sushi restaurant in Lima, Peru. What followed was a personal journey that saw Nobu deal with financial and creative adversity until finally achieving star status after opening his restaurant (called Matsuhisa) in Los Angeles in 1987 (via Nobu Hotels). From that point on, the successes have multiplied, with restaurants and hotels flourishing.
"This is one of the greatest, most inspiring and interesting stories I have ever had the opportunity to tell. Nobu's reinvention of a cuisine, his staggering success in redefining the food culture worldwide, and his push into the hotel business would be impressive and interesting enough for a series, but I am floored by the unknown story of the man. He's a study in perseverance and triumph over adversity — a self-made individual, whose career almost crashed and burned," the director, Matt Tyrnauer, said (via Variety).
What we don't know yet about 'Nobu' the series
That's what we know about "Nobu" the series. What don't we know? Where will we be able to watch it? Will it stream on Netflix, like the AGC produced "Tinder Swindler," or will this docuseries find a home on cable or even network television? Will hotel partner Robert De Niro be making any appearances? When might the series premiere? Like they say in show business, stay tuned.
We do know Matt Tyrnauer is on board to direct the docuseries, which, per the official description, will track Nobu Matsuhisa's "epic journey from Japan to Peru to the United States and many other points around the world that will be uncovered by exclusive access to Nobu, his global empire, and his key collaborators, friends and famous fans" (via Variety).
We also know Corey Reeser, Tyrnauer's co-founder in Altmieter, will serve as showrunner, and that the two collaborators will also be executive producers. They'll share this latter duty with AGC founder Stuart Ford and company executives Lourdes Diaz and BJ Levin, per Deadline.