"Tony" director Matt Johnson skipped Bourdain's books and TV shows entirely before making A24 biopic

Matt Johnson, director of A24's Anthony Bourdain biopic "Tony," never read "Kitchen Confidential" nor watched any of Bourdain's television programmes before making the film, per Deadline (4 August 2026). Johnson focused on Bourdain's 1975 summer working a Provincetown seafood restaurant at 19. Dominic Sessa stars; A24, Star Thrower and Zapruder Films produce.