Dominic Cessa teases his role as Anthony Bourdain in the trailer for the highly anticipated film Tony.
A24 releases director Matt Johnson’s film in theaters next August. sisa (Retainers) portrays 19-year-old Bourdain in the film that also stars Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, Antonio Banderas, Dagmara Dominczyk, Rich Sommers and Stavros Halkias.
Focusing on a period in Bourdain’s life that preceded his fame as a celebrity chef and author, Tony The film follows titular character Sisa as he gets a job at a restaurant on Cape Cod and experiences a transformative summer.
“I’m actually not a fucking cook,” Sessa explains in the trailer. “I’m a writer. But I said I knew how to cook.”
Johnson (Nirvana band movie presentation, BlackBerry) directed the film from a script he co-wrote with Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels, and Lou Howe. Johnson, Miller, Tim White and Trevor White serve as producers.
Bourdain’s estate released a statement offering insight into the decision to give their blessing. “We chose to support Tony “Because it is not a standard biopic and does not attempt to sum up a life,” the statement said about the culinary personality, who died in June 2018 at the age of 61. “Guided by director Matt Johnson’s vision, the film depicts one transformative summer in 1975 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It’s an interpretation, because this part of Tony’s life will always remain somewhat unknown.
The letter continued: “We appreciate the portrayal of Tony’s complexity, intellectual appetite and conviction – qualities that ultimately took him around the world and endeared him to so many. We hope this film serves as a reminder that every journey has a beginning, and that viewers see the beginnings of a man who taught us how to be better explorers of our own paths.”
