The Many Saints of Newark release date: Trailer, cast for The Sopranos film prequel

Director Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World), who helmed nine episodes of the original series, returns for the new project, from a script written by the show's creator David Chase. Taylor has described the film as the most difficult project he's worked on in his career.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he said "Doing this in a way that would work for David’s vision was a huge challenge, something I would lie awake at night thinking about. This is the hardest job I’ve ever done."

As the film is set several decades earlier than the TV show, an all-new cast has been enlisted to portray characters that will be very familiar to longtime fans.

Among them is Michael Gandolfini, who inherits the role of Tony Soprano from his late father James, and looks to be doing a phenomenal job embodying the character in the Many Saints of Newark trailer.

Meanwhile, it looks as if this won't be the last time that David Chase dips into the world of the Sopranos, with the boss having indicated that there could be demand for a second prequel – even if he's more interested in doing other things.

"When we first started, the studio used to talk about doing a sequel, and I was like yeah, dream on," he told Deadline. "And now that they’ve seen the movie and they really like it, they don’t talk about it anymore. But there’s only one way that I would do it, and that was if Terry (Winter) and I could write the script together. That I would do."

Read on for all the details on this highly anticipated The Sopranos prequel, including release date, cast, returning characters, and trailer.

The Many Saints of Newark release date

The Many Saints of Newark will be released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 22nd September 2021.

This is slightly earlier than the film arrives for our friends across the pond, where it will be available to stream on HBO Max or to see in cinemas from Friday 1st October.

Like many high-profile movies, The Many Saints of Newark has faced multiple delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, having originally been slated for release in September 2020, moving to March 2021 and then again to its current date.

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The Many Saints of Newark trailer

The first trailer for The Many Saints of Newark dropped in June 2021, introducing the key players in this suspenseful crime story, including Michael Gandolfini in his father's iconic role: Tony Soprano.

And a second trailer for the movie was released in September 2021, this time focusing on Alessandro Nivola’s Dickie Moltisanti (the father of Sopranos character Christopher) while also offering a glimpse of John Bernthal as Tony's father Giovanni 'Johnny Boy' Soprano.

The Many Saints of Newark cast: Is anyone returning from The Sopranos?

The Many Saints of Newark will see the return of several characters first introduced in The Sopranos, but they will be portrayed by different actors due to the film's significantly earlier setting.

Original Tony Soprano actor James Gandolfini sadly passed away in 2013, but his son, Michael (Ocean's 8), has stepped into the role, providing a moving homage to his father's groundbreaking performance.

Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring) will portray Tony's mother, Livia, while Alessandro Nivola (Black Narcissus) has bagged the role of his uncle, Dickie Moltisanti – father of Christopher, a prominent character in The Sopranos.

Other returning characters from The Sopranos include Giovanni 'Johnny Boy' Soprano (The Punisher's Jon Bernthal), Junior Soprano (House of Cards star Corey Stoll), Paulie 'Walnuts' Gaultieri (Aladdin's Billy Magnussen) and Silvio Dante (The Umbrella Academy's John Magaro).

The star-studded cast also includes Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami), Ray Liotta (Marriage Story), Joey Diaz (Maron) and Nick Vallelonga (Green Book).

Behind the camera, The Sopranos creator David Chase has returned to write and produce this new entry in the story, with Alan Taylor (who directed nine episodes of the original series) taking on directing duties.

What is The Many Saints of Newark about?

The Many Saints of Newark is a prequel to acclaimed HBO drama The Sopranos, which followed the eponymous crime family led by patriarch Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini).

This film is set several decades earlier, introducing us to a teenage Tony and unravelling how he became the hardened criminal we later come to know.

That story will involve the rivalry between the powerful DiMeo crime family and the several rival organisations rising to challenge them, with Tony's uncle Dickie tied up in the brewing conflict.

The riots that swept Newark, New Jersey in 1967 are also set to provide a powerful backdrop to this narrative.

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