Dominic Sessa is in negotiations to play the famous chef and trip documentary filmmaker in Star Thrower Entertainment’s film “Tony.” Filmmaker and co-writer of “BlackBerry,” Matt Johnson, is reportedly in talks with A24 to make the film. Todd Bartels and Lou Howe penned the movie’s script. Johnson, Matthew Miller, Trevor White, and Tim White are in talks with A24 to produce beneath their Star Thrower label. Executive producer will be Emily Rose.
Sessa, who was listed as one of Variety’s 10 Actors to Look For in 2023, will next be seen in the film “Now You See Me 3” with Ariana Greenblatt and Justice Smith, two other franchise rookies. Other forthcoming projects involve the Rose Byrne film “Tow” and Michael Showalter’s Christmas farce “Oh. What. Fun.”
The time span of Bourdain’s life that the biopic will focus on is still unknown. The adored TV persona, who hosted the shows “No Reservations” and “Parts Unknown,” committed suicide in 2018. “Tony” is not the first movie centred around Bourdain’s life; in 2021, Tribeca hosted the debut of the documentary “Roadrunner.” Even though the project received positive reviews, criticism arose when director Morgan Neville disclosed that he had created three quotations featuring the late Anthony Bourdain’s voice using artificial intelligence.
In a 2013 “Parts Unknown” episode, Bourdain travelled to Israel, referring to it as “the most contentious piece of real estate in the world” and using the trip to deepen his understanding of his Jewish history. “I’ve never been in a synagogue.” He addressed the audience, “I don’t believe in a higher power. But that doesn’t make me any less Jewish, I don’t think.”