Emotional new trailer for Anthony Bourdain doc ‘Roadrunner’ is here

Anthony Bourdain fans are going to want to bring some tissues to the release of this film. The first trailer for Roadrunner, the documentary based on the late chef and TV host’s incredible life, just dropped. And of course, it’s all kinds of emotional.

The trailer comes nearly three years after Bourdain died by suicide at the age of 61, and it promises to explore all of the things that drove the author, chef and personality. If the trailer is any indication, the movie will also delve into Bourdain’s mental health struggles and his constant need to get out there and explore the world.

“It was almost never about food, it was about Tony learning to be a better person,” celebrity chef David Chang reveals in the opening seconds. The camera then cuts to an old clip of Bourdain. “You're probably gonna find out about it anyway, so here's a little preemptive truth-telling: There's no happy ending,” he says in a voiceover to video of himself diving into a pool.

“One minute I was standing next to a deep fryer and the next, I was watching the sun set over the Sahara. What am I doing here?” Bourdain says in another part of the trailer.

Throughout the two-and-a-half minute preview fans can also see snippets of Bourdain’s home life with his ex-wife, Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, and their daughter, Ariane, as well as clips from various speaking engagements, book signings and scenes from his CNN series, Parts Unknown.

“He was always rushing to get into the scene. He was rushing to get out of the scene, to go somewhere next even if he had nowhere to go,” reveals Parts Unknown director Tom Vitale. “I know how hard that must have been for him to reach out to someone and be like, 'Hey man, I'm not doing well,'” adds artist David Choe.

The anticipated film is directed by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville, of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? and 20 Feet from Stardom fame. It hits theatres on July 16 and is also expected to hit HBO Max in the U.S., but release plans in Canada are unknown at time of press as things continue to reopen across the country in the wake of the pandemic.

Bourdain shot to fame back in 1999 following an essay he wrote for The New Yorker titled “Don’t Eat Before Reading This.” The piece exposed the darker side of the kitchen and got people talking, and Bourdain followed it up with his further tea-spilling novel, Kitchen Confidential, in 2000.

Kitchen Confidential was developed into a short-lived TV series in 2005, with Bradley Cooper playing a character name Jack Bourdain. Nicholas Brendon, Jaime King, John Francis Daley, Bonnie Somerville, John Cho and Owain Yeoman also starred, however the series was axed after 13 short episodes.

During his career, Bourdain also hosted shows like A Cook’s Tour and No Reservations, and in 2013 he debuted his final series, Parts Unknown. The series followed the chef as he globe-trotted and learned more about different cultures and cuisines around the world. It won 12 primetime Emmy awards and ran for 12 seasons.

Bourdain was shooting an episode of the series when his body was discovered in a French hotel room in June 2018. His friend and fellow chef Eric Ripert was the one to find him.

"Anthony was my best friend. An exceptional human being, so inspiring & generous. One of the great storytellers who connected w so many,” Ripert later tweeted. “I pray he is at peace from the bottom of my heart. My love & prayers are also w his family, friends and loved ones."

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