An Anthony Bourdain biopic is in the works — and Dominic Sessa is in talks to star as s the late celebrity chef.
Deadline reported on Monday, August 12, that Sessa, 21, is attached to portray Bourdain in the project, titled Tony. Matt Johnson (Blackberry) will direct the film, with a script from Todd Bartels and Lou Howe.
A24 is in talks to produce with Trevor White and Tim White under their Star Thrower Entertainment banner, along with Johnson and Matthew Miller. Emily Rose is an executive producer.
A representative for A24 had no comment.
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Sessa earned acclaim for his breakout role as a troubled teen in 2023’s The Holdovers. The dramedy scored an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actress trophy for Sessa’s costar Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who portrayed grieving mother Mary Lamb.
Bourdain died by suicide at the age of 61 in Strasbourg, France, in June 2018 while he was in the country to film his Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown docuseries for CNN. His friend, Eric Ripert, found him unresponsive in his hotel room.
Days later, Anthony’s mother, Gladys Bourdain, paid tribute to her “feisty and very talented” son during a June 11 emotional interview with the Today show.
“He didn’t disguise anything or take on any act or persona,” she said. “He was who he was and it was out there for everyone to see.”
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Gladys, a former editor at The New York Times, told the outlet at the time that Anthony “had been in a dark mood” in the days before his death but she never “dreamed” he “would do something like this.”
Months after his death, Bourdain was remembered by a bevy of celebrity friends in the book Anthony Bourdain Remembered, which featured tributes from pals including former President Barack Obama and filmmaker Ken Burns.
Obama, 63, and Bourdain famously appeared together on a 2016 episode of Parts Unknown, which was filmed in Hanoi, Vietnam. Obama referenced that meeting in his tribute, writing, “Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer. This is how I’ll remember Tony. He taught us about food – but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown. We’ll miss him.”
The culinary legend is survived by his daughter, Ariane, now 17, and his estranged wife, Ottavia Butta.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
