Latest news with #NirvannatheBandtheShowtheMovie
Hindustan Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Holdovers star Dominic Sessa to play Anthony Bourdain in his biopic; Antonio Banderas joins the cast in undisclosed role
The upcoming biopic on the life of popular chef Anthony Bourdain, titled Tony, has begun assembling its cast, with two major names already confirmed. According to a report by Variety, actor Dominic Sessa, best known for his breakout role in Alexander Payne's The Holdovers, will take on the role of the beloved chef, author, and globetrotting TV host. Hollywood star Antonio Banderas is also set to appear in the film in a role that remains under wraps. A post shared by Dominic Sessa (@ According to the report, the narrative is set during the summer of 1976, focusing on a pivotal chapter in Anthony's early life—when he was just 22 years old and working in seafood kitchens in Massachusetts, US. The story promises to shed light on his formative years before the fame, long before Kitchen Confidential or Parts Unknown made him a household name. Directing the project is Matt Johnson, who recently made waves with his 2023 feature BlackBerry, a darkly comedic look at the rise and fall of the smartphone brand. Matt's latest work, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, adapted from his cult web and Viceland series, premiered to enthusiastic reception at SXSW film festival and is expected to be released later this year. Matt is also reportedly connected to a developing Magic: The Gathering film. The screenplay for Tony comes from Todd Bartels and Lou Howe. Producing the film are Tim White and Trevor White—known for King Richard and No One Will Save You. Among the executive producers is Kimberly Witherspoon, who was Anthony's longtime literary agent and now oversees his estate. She is joined by Chris Stinson, Amy Greene, Emily Rose, Howe, and Bartels. Anthony's legacy has been explored through various lenses since his passing in 2018. The documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain by Morgan Neville offered an intimate portrayal of his life and struggles, while Charles Leerhsen's unauthorized biography, Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain, presented another perspective. Before becoming a cultural icon, Anthony made his mark in New York City as the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles. His candid memoir, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, published in 2000, catapulted him into the spotlight. That book would later inspire a short-lived sitcom, Kitchen Confidential, starring Bradley Cooper. Over the years, Anthony would go on to write several more books, co-create a graphic novel, and host acclaimed travel shows such as No Reservations, Parts Unknown, and A Cook's Tour. His voice also found its way into pop culture, with appearances on The Simpsons, Archer, and even a cameo in The Big Short.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Neon Acquires ‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie'
Grab a bottle of Orbitz, because Neon has acquired the rights to 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.' Variety confirmed the news after Neon teased the acquisition in a cryptic social media post featuring an image of an Orbitz bottle (a now-defunct Canadian non-carbonated fruit-flavored beverage from the 1990s) and the caption 'IYKYK.' More from Variety 'Together' Trailer: Alison Brie and Dave Franco Inject Body Horror Into Their Real-Life Marriage 'Anora' Is Now Streaming on Hulu 'The Actor' Director Duke Johnson on Embracing the Film's 'Theater Troupe Energy' and Why André Holland Is 'Such an Intuitive Actor' Canadian creators Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol star in this time-traveling comedy film based on their mockumentary TV series 'Nirvanna the Band the Show,' which aired for two seasons from 2017 to 2018. As in the series, the duo play musicians Matt and Jay, who, though they've never written or recorded a song, make it their mission to play a concert at Toronto's Rivoli. Orbitz proves crucial to Matt and Jay's journey in a way we wouldn't dare spoil. Johnson directs the film from a script he wrote with McCarroll. Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge called the film 'far and away the wildest film of the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival,' adding, 'Hilarious as the movie can be, there's an even more amusing meta level on which we laugh at how insane it is that it exists at all, marveling how they pulled it off.' Johnson previously made a splash on the festival circuit with the 2023 Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton-led dramedy 'BlackBerry,' for which McCarrol was the composer. Previous directorial credits include 'The Dirties' and 'Operation Avalanche.' More to come… Best of Variety What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
CBC
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie got a 'rapturous reception' at SXSW
Social Sharing Nirvanna the Band the Show is a Canadian mockumentary series where two friends, played by creators Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, make up "Nirvanna the Band," an unlikely piano-poetry duo. Together, they spend their time pulling various stunts around Toronto as they try to land a gig at concert venue the Rivoli. The show first debuted as an early-aughts web series, and then later as a 2017 TV show on Viceland. Now, Johnson and McCarrol have premiered Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie at SXSW, which sees character Jay trying to make it as a solo act — and subsequently triggering a tear in the space-time continuum that accidentally sends both Matt and Jay back to the year 2008. Today on Commotion, film critics Barry Hertz and Teri Hart join guest host Rad Simonpillai to talk about how the film was received by the audience in Austin, Texas, and what the project suggests about Matt Johnson's signature as a filmmaker. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, where the panel discusses the Canadian film Can I Get A Witness? and Netflix's new adventure epic The Electric State, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Rad: Nirvanna the Band the Show is a Canadian comedy TV series from 2017 that follows an indie band trying to book their first gig. That show was co-created by Jay McCarrol and Matt Johnson. Matt Johnson, being the director of BlackBerry which, of course, swept the Canadian Screen Awards last year. This week, Jay and Matt were at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin for the world premiere of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, and Barry, you were there too…. How did it go, and how did the people down south, you know, receive what Jay and Matt had to offer? Barry: I think it was for me, personally, a top five screening experience of my life. I've really never been in a room where they were locked in and on the same wavelength as the film from the opening second. Laughter regularly drowning out dialogue that preceded a scene. Spontaneous applause. And even before the end credits rolled, when people knew it was over, they just leapt to their feet. It was a rapturous reception. Rad: I mean, it's a very Toronto-centric story too, right? ... Do you feel like they were missing other parts of the culture? Barry: No, I don't think so. I mean, there were some Canadians in the room; Johnson and McCarrol brought, like, two dozen of their team members down for the festival premiere. And if you were a Canadian in Austin otherwise … you were at that screening. But at the same time, it was like a 400-plus auditorium, and there were tons of locals down there, and they totally got it too. Either they were fans of the series from the get-go, so they knew the kind of Toronto-ness of it. But I also spoke with several members of the press who were just kind of there because it fit their schedule, or because they were kind of curious — had not seen the series, had not seen BlackBerry, and still were like, "This was a wild ride and I loved it." Rad: Right. Well Teri, you and I did not get to have this experience — one of these top five lifetime experiences that Barry is talking about. But we of course are very aware of Matt Johnson's whole career as a filmmaker, but also as a rabble-rouser within the Canadian film industry. So what are you thinking in terms of his evolution as a filmmaker, and potentially flagbearer for our national cinema? Teri: Matt is such an interesting guy to watch. Not only is he remarkably talented, but he certainly likes to stir the pot. I mean, he was very, very critical in very, very public ways, including an article in the Globe and Mail, criticizing the entire system of funding and who gets to make movies, and then, God forbid, the kinds of movies that those artists make. He's been very public about the history of Canadian film and why it's problematic, in his mind. And now he is a person working squarely in that system. Frankly, one of the people that he criticized most ended up producing BlackBerry. So, I mean, he's kind of done a full circle from his criticism of it to then kind of being in bed with these same people that he criticized. So maybe he looked at it as it being terrible at the beginning, and then thinking, "Well, maybe it's not so bad. Maybe it does work out." But what Matt's still doing is something a little bit different: the fact that he premiered this film at SXSW, the same strategy as him premiering BlackBerry in Berlin — whereas most Canadian films and filmmakers are looking to make their world premiere if not at the Toronto Film Festival, then at Cannes. So, I do think that Matt is always going to be an outlier. I think that Matt is always going to be looking at things with a critical eye and trying to figure out how he can change things up. And I think that's one of the reasons why he's such a great artist.
