Everything We Know About The Upcoming Anthony Bourdain Biopic

A biopic about the life of chef Anthony Bourdain is in the works at Star Thrower Entertainment, the production company behind films like "King Richard," "The Post," and "Ingrid Goes West." Rising star Dominic Sessa is in talks to portray the late chef in the film, titled "Tony," and A24 seems to be first in line to acquire the project, according to a report from Deadline. Sessa's first acting role was in the Oscar-winning 2023 film "The Holdovers," which earned him praise for his performance and a plethora of new acting opportunities, like "Now You See Me 3" and, of course, his prospective casting in "Tony."

Tim and Trevor White, founders and co-CEOs of Star Thrower Entertainment, are producing the film along with the film's director, Matt Johnson, who also directed the 2023 film "BlackBerry." Both Hollywood and the Academy love biopics, so news of a biographical film about food-loving legend Bourdain comes as no surprise. At the 2024 Oscars, three out of five actors nominated for Best Actor starred in biopics, and the same goes for two out of five actresses nominated for Best Actress.

It's unclear when in Anthony Bourdain's life the film will take place. Actor Dominic Sessa was born in 2002, so if this is a hint as to when the biopic will be set, viewers might expect to see the story of Bourdain's early life; however, biopics like 2023's "Maestro," which starred Bradley Cooper, have shown audiences the power of aging facial prosthetics.

Bourdain was born in 1956 in NYC and was raised in New Jersey. In 1978, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked in various Manhattan restaurants throughout the '80s and '90s. It wasn't until the chef was in his 40s that he gained fame. In the late '90s, Bourdain's big break came from an article about working in restaurants, "Don't Eat Before Reading This," which was published in The New Yorker. Cookbooks followed, and his TV career took off in the early 2000s.

There are already both documentary and biographical works depicting Bourdain's life. "Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain" is an account of Bourdain's life that received saucy reviews for being what The New York Times called an "unauthorized biography." The documentary "Roadrunner" revealed surprising things about Bourdain, like his shy demeanor and dislike for being considered a TV personality. Little else is known, however, about the new biopic, which is still in early development.