'Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain' Trailer Promises An Intimate Trip With The Renowned And Deeply Missed Chef

Three years ago, we lost a culinary titan. In June 2018, Anthony Bourdain was found dead in a French hotel room at age 61, with the cause later confirmed to be suicide. But his death seemed in direct contrast to his life, in which he became known as an endlessly curious chef and television personality who brought attention to so many different types of cuisines and cultures. Now, Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville, who helmed the Fred Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor, is shedding a light on Bourdain and his legacy with the documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain. Watch the Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain trailer below.

Anthony Bourdain is one of the greats of the celebrity food world, having published the best-selling 2000 book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly and hosted TV series such as Food Network's A Cook's Tour, Travel Channel's No Reservations, and CNN's Parts Unknown. But it was less the popularity of his books and shows, or even his reputation as a "provocateur," that makes his absence feel all the larger three years after his death. It was his respect and love for food, and the many cultures they come from, that made him stand out from his colleagues. And that's what Roadrunner pays homage to, with chefs like David Chang and more commenting about Bourdain's restless spirit that always seemed like it was searching for something.

Neville seems uniquely suited to explore that kind of complexity. He's directed the Oscar winner 20 Feet from Stardom, Best of Enemies, and of course, the profoundly moving Won't You Be My Neighbor, which pulled back the curtain on the children's entertainer Mr. Rogers.

"Anthony Bourdain did more to help us understand each other than just about anyone in the history of television," Neville said in a statement back when the documentary was first announced. "He connected with people not in spite of his flaws, but because of them. To have the opportunity to tell his story is humbling. CNN is in the DNA of Tony's work, and the perfect partners in this journey. I'm thrilled to be re-teaming with Focus Features after our journey on 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?'"

Here's the synopsis for Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain:

It's not where you go. It's what you leave behind . . . Chef, writer, adventurer, provocateur: Anthony Bourdain lived his life unabashedly. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at how an anonymous chef became a world-renowned cultural icon. From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won't You Be My Neighbor?), this unflinching look at Bourdain reverberates with his presence, in his own voice and in the way he indelibly impacted the world around him.

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is having its world premiere June 11, 2021 at the Tribeca Film Festival. It opens in theaters on July 16, 2021.