New details emerge for The Sopranos prequel movie
We’ve learned a little more about The Many Saints of Newark
It’s been 12 years since The Sopranos concluded with that ending.
But while it will remain a discussion point for Sopranos fans forever more what happened, we’re set to find out a whole lot more about the Sopranos’ family history in upcoming prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark.
The film, written by series creator David Chase and Lawrence Konner, and directed by Game of Thrones staple Alan Taylor, is set to chart Newark in the 60s in the middle of its infamous riots.
In that time, conflict between Italians and African-Americans were at an all-time high, with many street battles between rival gangs quickly turning lethal.
It’s a world that Tony Sopranos is set to find himself embroiled in even as a young man, with the prequel set to explore his boyhood.
"I was interested in Newark and life in Newark at that time. I used to go to down there every Saturday night for dinner with my grandparents,” Chase explained to Deadline. But the thing that interested me most was Tony’s boyhood. I was interested in exploring that.
"The movie will deal with the tensions between the blacks and whites at the time, and Tony Soprano will be part of this, but as a kid."
While young Tony is not the kingpin of the crime family in the prequel, Chase promises we’re set to meet other characters at the height of their power in the earlier days of the mafia.
"The mafia was very polished at that time, how they dressed and what they did. Those traditions were followed more loosely in the series,” he added.
While James Gandolfini, who played Tony in the TV show, passed away in 2013, Alessandro Nivola has been cast as Tony Sopranos’ uncle, Dickey Moltisanti – a character whose death predates the original series.
But despite powering on with the project, which is set to go into production later this year, Chase has also admitted being in two minds about continuing The Sopranos’ story.
“I was against [the movie] for a long time and I’m still very worried about it, but I became interested in Newark, where my parents came from, and where the riots took place,” he said. “I was just interested in the whole Newark riot thing. I started thinking about those events and organised crime, and I just got interested in mixing those two elements.
In celebration of the show's 20th anniversary, every series of The Sopranos is now available to stream on NOW TV, contract free. For more information, visit www.nowtv.com.
