BAFTA Award-nominated Dominic Sessa is now seen in A24’s upcoming movie Tony as a young Anthony Bourdain. Based on the early pages of Bourdain’s groundbreaking Kitchen Confidential, the cinematic biography is scheduled to premiere in August 2026.
The screenplay by Todd Bartel and Lou Howe follows the narrative that unfolds during a defining summer in 1975 Provincetown, Massachusetts, as a 19‑year‑old Bourdain embraces his culinary calling.
Canadian director and writer Matt Johnson helms the film. His last cult-hit comedy, Nirvana: The Band – The Show – The Movie, won the Audience Award at SXSW and the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival 2025. His other film, BlackBerry (2023), earned the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, became a CSA record-breaker, and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Leading the film is Dominic Sessa as Anthony Bourdain, alongside Antonio Banderas as Ciro, a mentor and restaurant owner; Emilia Jones as Nancy, the girl he falls for; Leo Woodall as Sal; Stavros Halkias as Dimitri; and Rich Sommer as Tony’s father, Pierre Bourdain.
Long before he became a global TV personality, Anthony Bourdain was working in Manhattan kitchens in the 1980s, building his career as a chef. His life changed with the success of his memoir Kitchen Confidential, which introduced his sharp, honest voice to the world. He later connected with audiences through his Travel Channel series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, a show that ran for eight seasons and made him widely admired. He died in 2018.
