Anthony Bourdain passed away seven years ago, in June 2018. His absence is still felt, and people still watch his old shows. He left behind a legacy of food/restaurant criticism and global exploration. Well, A24 has finally secured the rights to tell Bourdain’s story in a biopic, and they’ve just cast their “young Anthony Bourdain” – The Holdovers’ star Dominic Sessa!!

“The Holdovers” star Dominic Sessa will officially don the apron of kitchen legend Anthony Bourdain, alongside Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas in a new biopic from A24.

Banderas’ role is under wraps, and Sessa was reported as in talks for the project from director Matt Johnson (“Blackberry”) last summer. The film, titled “Tony,” will take place in 1976 when a young Bourdain has a life-changing experience working and living in Provincetown, Mass. Cameras are set to roll next month.

Bourdain enrolled in culinary school two years after the film is set. The former executive chef of New York’s Brasserie Les Halles made his name with the 2000 memoir “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.” The winner of a posthumous Emmy for his contributions to the unscripted space for series like “No Reservations” and “Parts Unknown,” Bourdain died in 2018 in the French city of Strasbourg, at age 61.

[From Variety]

I was a huge fan of The Holdovers and I thought Sessa gave a star-making performance in his first-ever professional acting role. I was actually bummed that Hollywood didn’t seem to know what to do with Sessa after that performance, and he’s only booked a couple of roles since The Holdovers’ awards season. Playing a young Bourdain though… that could put him on the map. I’m sure there will be some conversation about “why make a biopic when Bourdain left all of this visual legacy,” but I get it. Plus, this is mostly going to be about Bourdain’s early years. I wonder who Antonio Banderas is playing?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.