Matt Johnson (‘Blackberry') to Direct Anthony Bourdain Biopic for A24

Too soon?

“The Holdovers” breakout Dominic Sessa will star as late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain in the A24 produced “Tony” (via Jeff Sneider & Deadline).

Matt Johnson, who helmed last year’s acclaimed “Blackberry,” is set to direct from a script by Todd Bartel and Lou Howe. Plot details are being kept under wraps, and it’s unclear if the film is based on any particular moment of Bourdain’s life.

Bourdain was an executive chef in Manhattan throughout the ’80s, but became an overnight sensation after publishing his bestseller “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.” He had a down-to-Earth, point-blank, tell-it-like-it-is honesty about food and life. Bourdain, who tragically died by suicide in 2018, was best known for his Travel Channel series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations which had a successful eight-season run.

Would Bourdain have wanted Hollywood to tackle his life in a biopic? Absolutely not. He wasn’t that kind of person. This all seems so damn wrong, the exact kind of thing that he would have hated the most.

Given Sessa’s casting, I bet that the film tackles the ‘Kitchen Confidential’ era of Bourdain’s life, which might just be the only way to make a movie about the late chef. Having the talented Johnson directing is also a major plus.

No word yet on when production would begin on “Tony.”