Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
08-13-24 | 04:47 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Moderator
Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
EXCLUSIVE: Following his breakout role in the Oscar-winning dramedy The Holdovers, Dominic Sessa looks to have found his next high-profile project as sources tell Deadline he is attached to star as the late chef Anthony Bourdain in the biopic Tony from Oscar-nominated production company Star Thrower Entertainment. Sources also tell Deadline that A24 is in negotiations to acquire the package.
Tim and Trevor White of Star Thrower and Matt Miller are producing along with director Matt Johnson. Lou Howe and Todd Bartels penned the script. Emily Rose will exec produce.
A24 and Star Thrower had no comment.
Bourdain came up cooking in various restaurants across Manhattan in the 1980s and ’90s, including being the exec chef at Brasserie Les Halles, but it was his essay collection about the ugly secrets of restaurants that put him on the map. Following their publication in The New Yorker, Bourdain became an instant star on the media food scene due to his point-blank, tell-it-like-it-is tone that audiences were not accustomed to.
He would begin hosting a number of TV shows, but it was his Travel Channel series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations that made him star over its eight-season run. Bourdain died by suicide in 2018.
It is unknown at what point in his life this project will take place.
Star Thrower is no stranger to the biopic. having produced King Richard, which earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination and a Lead Actor win for star Will Smith. The company just wrapped production on the A24 film Eternity.
As for Sessa, the rising actor has had his pick of projects to choose from following his star-making turn in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers. While his co-stars Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph earned Oscar nominations — Randolph wound up winning — Sessa held his own and earned strong reviews following the films festival premiere.
Johnson most recently directed the critically acclaimed dark comedy Blackberry.
Johnson is represented by CAA and Chris Spicer at Akin Gump; Sessa is represented by CAA, Untitled and Steve Warren at Hansen Jacobson Teller; Miller is represented by CAA and Chris Spicer at Akin Gump. Howe and Bartels are repped by Mosaic and attorney Andre Des Rochers.
Tim and Trevor White of Star Thrower and Matt Miller are producing along with director Matt Johnson. Lou Howe and Todd Bartels penned the script. Emily Rose will exec produce.
A24 and Star Thrower had no comment.
Bourdain came up cooking in various restaurants across Manhattan in the 1980s and ’90s, including being the exec chef at Brasserie Les Halles, but it was his essay collection about the ugly secrets of restaurants that put him on the map. Following their publication in The New Yorker, Bourdain became an instant star on the media food scene due to his point-blank, tell-it-like-it-is tone that audiences were not accustomed to.
He would begin hosting a number of TV shows, but it was his Travel Channel series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations that made him star over its eight-season run. Bourdain died by suicide in 2018.
It is unknown at what point in his life this project will take place.
Star Thrower is no stranger to the biopic. having produced King Richard, which earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination and a Lead Actor win for star Will Smith. The company just wrapped production on the A24 film Eternity.
As for Sessa, the rising actor has had his pick of projects to choose from following his star-making turn in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers. While his co-stars Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph earned Oscar nominations — Randolph wound up winning — Sessa held his own and earned strong reviews following the films festival premiere.
Johnson most recently directed the critically acclaimed dark comedy Blackberry.
Johnson is represented by CAA and Chris Spicer at Akin Gump; Sessa is represented by CAA, Untitled and Steve Warren at Hansen Jacobson Teller; Miller is represented by CAA and Chris Spicer at Akin Gump. Howe and Bartels are repped by Mosaic and attorney Andre Des Rochers.
08-13-24 | 11:31 AM
#2
DVD Talk God
re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
The story says it's unknown what time period this will cover. I hope it doesn't spend too much time all the way back to his days as a druggie line cook in NYC.
Bourdain was also an author and got his big TV break hosting "A Cook's Tour" on Food Network. I mean, that show, No Reservations, The Layover, Parts Unknown and his doomed romance with Asia Argento and later his death could cover a 3+ hour movie.
Bourdain was also an author and got his big TV break hosting "A Cook's Tour" on Food Network. I mean, that show, No Reservations, The Layover, Parts Unknown and his doomed romance with Asia Argento and later his death could cover a 3+ hour movie.
Last edited by DJariya; 08-13-24 at 11:39 AM.
08-13-24 | 11:48 AM
#3
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
Sessa is what, 20 years old? It's going to be Kitchen Confidential era Anthony. BTW : Did he go by 'Tony'?
08-13-24 | 12:46 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Moderator
08-13-24 | 12:54 PM
#5
DVD Talk God
re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
All his friends and colleagues called him Tony.
08-13-24 | 04:44 PM
#6
DVD Talk God
re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
If they go into Bourdain's life in his 40s and 50s when he became a nationally known TV personality, Sessa is going to have wear a lot of makeup and maybe wigs.
He could definitely pass for this era of Bourdain
He could definitely pass for this era of Bourdain
05-04-26 | 11:35 AM
#7
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
^ You got it exactly right, DJ. I bet they used that very picture for reference here.
First look today, trailer tomorrow :
First look today, trailer tomorrow :
05-05-26 | 08:28 AM
#8
DVD Talk Hero
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 39,938
Received 1,698 Likes
on
1,210 Posts
From: Somewhere between Heaven and Hell
Re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
05-05-26 | 08:30 AM
#9
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
I have to assume this won't take the Michael route and end the film before the end of his life, even though it won't be traditionally entertaining.
05-05-26 | 10:15 AM
#10
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
I don't follow your question there Noonan.
Looks fun. Kitchen Confidential era. Banderas is always good in stuff. He looks great as the mentor here. One day, he'll get his Oscar recognition-- maybe this is the role?
Still can't believe Sessa was just a student in the school where they shot The Holdovers, and he landed the co-lead. He's got a real screen presence. Hope he's good in this
Looks fun. Kitchen Confidential era. Banderas is always good in stuff. He looks great as the mentor here. One day, he'll get his Oscar recognition-- maybe this is the role?
Still can't believe Sessa was just a student in the school where they shot The Holdovers, and he landed the co-lead. He's got a real screen presence. Hope he's good in this
05-05-26 | 10:17 AM
#11
DVD Talk Legend
05-05-26 | 10:33 AM
#12
DVD Talk Hero
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 39,938
Received 1,698 Likes
on
1,210 Posts
From: Somewhere between Heaven and Hell
Re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
^ You know.. I don't need to know the end of the story. But I am interested in his start. I feel more people are unfamiliar with how he started than his more high profile years.
We didn't get a full biography of Springsteen, just a slice of his life making/recording Nebraska.
We didn't get a full biography of Springsteen, just a slice of his life making/recording Nebraska.
05-05-26 | 10:38 AM
#13
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
His story (like Michael's) is tragic. Not including the tragic aspects of his life would be terrible decision, IMO.
05-05-26 | 10:39 AM
#14
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
^ You know.. I don't need to know the end of the story. But I am interested in his start. I feel more people are unfamiliar with how he started than his more high profile years.
We didn't get a full biography of Springsteen, just a slice of his life making/recording Nebraska.
We didn't get a full biography of Springsteen, just a slice of his life making/recording Nebraska.
But yeah, this isn't going to be a hagiography of his entire life. It looks to be a straight adaptation of Kitchen Confidential, whether it's credited as such or not (I don't know)
05-05-26 | 06:44 PM
#15
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Tony (2026, D: Matt Johnson) -- S: Dominic Sessa -- Anthony Bourdain biopic
Anthony Bourdain's estate has released a statement on why it supports A24's new biopic:
"Anthony Bourdain’s legacy is meaningful to millions of people. He was a man who valued authenticity above all else and would have been both moved and baffled by the world's curiosity about his life. "We chose to support TONY because it is not a standard biopic and doesn't attempt to summarize a life. Guided by the vision of director Matt Johnson, the film depicts one transformative summer in 1975 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is an interpretation as that part of Tony's life will always remain somewhat unknown. "We appreciate the portrayal of Tony's complexity, his intellectual appetite and his conviction -- qualities that eventually took him around the globe and endeared him to so many. We hope this film serves as a reminder that every journey has a start, and that audiences see the beginnings of the man who taught us how to be better explorers on our own paths."
"Anthony Bourdain’s legacy is meaningful to millions of people. He was a man who valued authenticity above all else and would have been both moved and baffled by the world's curiosity about his life. "We chose to support TONY because it is not a standard biopic and doesn't attempt to summarize a life. Guided by the vision of director Matt Johnson, the film depicts one transformative summer in 1975 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is an interpretation as that part of Tony's life will always remain somewhat unknown. "We appreciate the portrayal of Tony's complexity, his intellectual appetite and his conviction -- qualities that eventually took him around the globe and endeared him to so many. We hope this film serves as a reminder that every journey has a start, and that audiences see the beginnings of the man who taught us how to be better explorers on our own paths."
The following users liked this post:
devilshalo (05-07-26)
