Ever since Cowboys & Aliens flopped back in 2011, Jon Favreau has been looking to get away from the action blockbuster space to try something new for his next project. For a while there, he was contemplating a musical as he signed on for the big screen adaptation of the Broadway hit Jersey Boys. Unfortunately, the project ended up being put into turnaround, and since then Clint Eastwood has stepped in as a likely replacement to direct. This left Favreau looking for something new, and now it seems that he has decided to simply take matters into his own hands. He is reportedly in the process of setting up a new indie comedy called Chef that would potentially mark his return to smaller scale films like Swingers and Made. But here’s the all-important question: will his buddy Vince Vaughn be involved?

According to Variety, Jon Favreau is currently in talks with both financiers and talent for his upcoming indie film Chef. If all of the deals go through, the plan is for him to write, direct and star in the film. Although plot details are scarce, the movie will supposedly be “set in a Los Angeles-based restaurant run by a emotional chef” (played by Favreau). Sadly, there has been no mention of Vince Vaughn thus far.

Favreau has kept busy over the past few years by directing some TV episodes (Revolution, The Office) and also acting in Identity Thief, Iron Man 3 and Martin Scorsese’s upcoming The Wolf of Wall Street. It’s pretty crazy to look back and see how far his career has come, but it’s always refreshing to see big directors return to their roots. Indie or not, I’ll be excited just to see him doing a straight up comedy again. Are you a fan of Jon Favreau’s early work or do you prefer his big blockbusters? Do you think returning to independent filmmaking will be good for his career?