America’s favorite mobster family is returning to the screen soon — the big screen this time, that is, thanks to a release date of Sept. 25, 2020, that’s now been confirmed for the Sopranos prequel movie which has been in the works.
It’s been a little more than 20 years now since The Sopranos first premiered on HBO, with its dark subject matter and prestige storytelling setting up the network to enjoy an epic broadcast run. One that HBO is still in the throes of today, some 12 years after the end of The Sopranos and which has given us plenty of other of series following in its wake (like Game Of Thrones) that quite possibly couldn’t have ended up anywhere else. Meanwhile, fandom around The Sopranos, one of HBO’s shows that started it all, also still remains high — which is no doubt a reason we’re getting a prequel in the first place.
Alan Taylor, who directed nine episodes of The Sopranos — as well as several for Game of Thrones, among his many directing credits — will occupy the director’s chair for the prequel, which will now apparently be titled simply Newark. The film, which previously carried the title The Many Saints of Newark, is going to be set against the backdrop of the Newark race riots in 1967.
Series creator David Chase, no surprise, worked on the script for the prequel. Michael Gandolfini, the son of late Sopranos star James Gandolfini, will play a younger version of the character Tony Soprano that his father popularized, and other characters from the series may also show up in the prequel, as well.
Alessandro Nivola recently explained the role he’ll be playing in a brief interview with The Associated Press. “I guess I got to be kind of discreet about it, so David Chase doesn’t kill me,” Nivola said. “I’m playing Dickie Moltisanti, who is the central character in the movie, and he is Christopher Moltisanti’s dad.” Christopher, of course, being the Tony protege in the original series who was played by Michael Imperioli.
