Antonio Banderas confirms Tony

Antonio Banderas said on May 13 that “Tony,” the Anthony Bourdain biopic from A24, will be released this summer, adding a timetable that the studio itself has not yet specified publicly. Sur in English reported the comment from Malaga, where Banderas said some kitchen scenes were filmed in his local restaurant. A24’s official page for the film still lists the release as “2026 (TBD),” while trade reports tied to the trailer rollout last week said the movie would arrive in theaters in August. The film has been building toward release since A24 unveiled its first trailer on May 5. Dominic Sessa plays a 19-year-old Bourdain, and Antonio Banderas appears as a Brazilian-born restaurateur who helps shape the young cook during a formative summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts, according to the studio synopsis and earlier comments Banderas gave at the Torino Film Festival. (a24films.com) ### What exactly did Banderas confirm on May 13? Antonio Banderas told reporters on May 13 that “Tony” would be released this summer, according to Sur in English. The report did not include a specific day or month, but it said Banderas confirmed the timing while discussing the production in Malaga. (a24films.com) Sur in English also reported that Banderas said he “cooked” scenes for the film in the kitchen of his restaurant in Malaga. That detail adds a Spain production link to a movie otherwise described in U.S. trade coverage as centering on Cape Cod and Newport filming. ### Why is there still confusion about the release date? (yahoo.com) A24’s current page for “Tony” lists only “2026 (TBD)” and does not give a month or day. That means Banderas’ comment is more specific than the studio’s own release page, but not yet a full date announcement. The Hollywood Reporter wrote on May 5 that A24 would release the film in theaters in August. (yahoo.com) Other entertainment coverage last week also described the movie as an August release, but A24 has not posted that timing on its official film page. ### What is “Tony” actually about? (a24films.com) A24 says “Tony” follows a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain who travels to Provincetown and lands in a chaotic restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that shapes his life. The studio description and trailer coverage frame the film as a focused origin story rather than a cradle-to-grave biography. The Bourdain estate endorsed that approach in a statement quoted by The Hollywood Reporter, saying the movie “is not a standard biopic” and depicts “one transformative summer in 1975 in Provincetown, Massachusetts.” The estate said the film was an interpretation of a period of Bourdain’s life that remains partly unknown. (hollywoodreporter.com) (a24films.com) ### Who is in the film, and what role does Banderas play? Dominic Sessa stars as Bourdain, and the cast also includes Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, Dagmara Dominczyk, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias and Antonio Banderas, according to A24 and trade reports. Matt Johnson directed the film. Variety reported in April 2025 that Banderas had joined the cast when cameras were set to roll the following month. (hollywoodreporter.com) In November 2025, Banderas said at the Torino Film Festival that he played a Brazilian-born restaurateur who mentors the young Tony and teaches him how to cook. ### Where does the movie fit in Bourdain’s life story? (a24films.com) Variety reported that the film is set in 1976, during a period before Bourdain attended culinary school and long before the fame that followed “Kitchen Confidential” in 2000. The project focuses on an early kitchen experience in Provincetown rather than Bourdain’s later television and writing career. (variety.com) The official trailer and studio synopsis match that narrow frame. They present Bourdain as a teenager who says he is a writer, not a cook, before being pulled into restaurant work that changes his path. A24 has already released the trailer, and the next concrete step is a formal date from the studio. (variety.com) Until then, the clearest public timetable is Banderas’ May 13 statement that the movie is due this summer and trade reporting that points to an August theatrical release. (a24films.com) (hollywoodreporter.com)