“The Holdovers” star Dominic Sessa in talks to play Anthony Bourdain in biopic “Tony”
The breakout star of last year's Alexander Payne comedy is in negotiations to play one of the culinary world's most beloved figures.
The first biopic of the beloved chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain is officially on its way.
EW has confirmed that The Holdovers breakout star Dominic Sessa is in talks to star as Bourdain in the upcoming film, to be titled Tony.
The film is written by actor Todd Bartels (The Americans) and director Lou Howe (2014's Gabriel), relatively untested talents who were previously reported to be attached to the Dolly Parton biopic Dumb Blonde in 2022.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images; Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Dominic Sessa and Anthony BourdainA24 is in talks to produce the film alongside Star Thrower Entertainment, the production company behind 2018's Oscar-nominated King Richard. Star Thrower is headed up by Trevor and Tim White, who previously produced Wind River, Ingrid Goes West, and the Hulu horror No One Will Save You. A24 and Star Thrower recently wrapped Eternity, a romantic comedy starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, Callum Turner, and Sessa's Holdovers costar Da'Vine Joy Randolph.
Also in talks to helm is Canadian indie veteran Matt Johnson, the director behind last year's corporate biopic BlackBerry and the star of three films by New Canadian Cinema cornerstone Kazik Radwanski.
Related: The Holdovers star Da'Vine Joy Randolph unpacks her character's emotional breakdown
The role as Bourdain would be a leap forward in Sessa's career; the actor currently has only one credit to his name, but it was an exceptional debut. His role as the surly-yet-sweet holdover Angus Tully in Alexander Payne's Oscar-winning film earned him a Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Performer and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Performance.
Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly'sfree newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.
What segments of Bourdain's storied life will be covered in Tony and how the biopic will cover them have not yet been announced.
Bourdain rose to fame in the 1990s as the executive chef of the Park Avenue restaurant Brasserie Les Halles, which Bourdain made famous upon the publication of his 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.
Related: Patton Oswalt became friends with Anthony Bourdain because chef was a fan of his movie Ratatouille
The chef went on to write five more books, co-wrote a graphic novel that was adapted into an Adult Swim series, hosted several television shows including the long-running Travel Channel series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and cameoed in a number of films and TV series from The Simpsons to The Big Short. Bourdain died by suicide at age 61 in June 2018.
Bourdain was memorialized widely following his death, including in Morgan Neville's 2021 documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, which was well received by critics and features footage of the "chef, writer, adventurer, provocateur" throughout his career.
Deadline first reported Sessa's casting.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
