The first trailer for ‘Tony’, the upcoming Anthony Bourdain biopic, has arrived, and it is already turning heads. The film stars Dominic Sessa, best known for his breakout role in ‘The Holdovers’, as a 19-year-old Bourdain navigating his first job in a kitchen in mid-70s Cape Cod. The trailer gives a raw and unfiltered glimpse of the early years of one of the most beloved food personalities of his generation, complete with a now iconic line from the character: “I’m actually not a f***ing cook, I’m a writer.“The film also stars Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones, and Leo Woodall, and is set for release this summer.
What is ‘Tony’ all about
‘Tony’ comes from Canadian director Matt Johnson, who earned significant acclaim for his 2023 film ‘BlackBerry’, an unconventional retelling of the story behind the now-discontinued mobile phone. Johnson also recently directed and co-starred in ‘Nirvanna the Band – the Show – the Movie’, which received positive reviews. Rather than attempting to cover Bourdain’s entire life, the film zeroes in on one transformative summer in 1975 in Provincetown, Massachusetts, depicting the restless young man who would eventually become a global icon in food, travel, and storytelling.
Why director Matt Johnson chose Dominic Sessa for the role
Johnson spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his decision to cast Sessa, pointing to the striking similarities between the actor and his subject. “Both from Jersey, both sent to private school, but didn’t fit in, both restless and searching,” he said.He went on to describe the making of the film as a deeply collaborative process. “I knew if a scene was working when Dom said, ‘Seems right,’ and I knew it wasn’t when he said, ‘Why would I say this?’ More than any movie I’ve ever made, this film was a partnership with an actor. He is in every shot of the movie, and carries the entire story on his hunched shoulders.”Since his celebrated turn in ‘The Holdovers’, Sessa has gone on to appear in ‘Now You See Me 3’ and the Christmas comedy ‘Oh. What. Fun.’ With ‘Tony’, he is now taking on arguably his most demanding role yet.Bourdain’s life was previously explored in the 2021 documentary ‘Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain’. With ‘Tony’ arriving this summer, a new generation of audiences will get to discover the beginnings of the man who, as his estate put it, taught the world how to be better explorers on their own paths.With ‘Tony’ arriving this summer, a new generation of audiences will discover the beginnings of the man who, as his estate put it, taught the world how to be better explorers on their own paths, ahead of its August 2026 release.