Sopranos Prequel Movie Getting a Series
It looks like this upcoming Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark won't be the only story we see from this group of characters.
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The Many Saints of Newark is the Sopranos prequel we have been waiting for going on a number of years now. Set to tell the backstory of Tony Soprano and his first introduction to the real mafia lifestyle we saw on the HBO series, it could upend much of what we knew about the iconic series. And before the movie has even hit HBO Max, there is already some early talk of more stories in this timeline. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Alan Taylor let on that this might not be the last we see of a young Tony Soprano. There could be a sequel, a series, or both on the way.
The interview with The Hollywood Reporter was an expansive one, laying out quite a bit about this Sopranos prequel and setting the stage for what we will see in The Many Saints of Newark. Taylor was upfront and honest about the process, and his past with the show. He has long been used by a number of series to direct penultimate and pivotal episodes for seasons. But at the end of the article, there is a mention of a possible Sopranos prequel series, or maybe even a sequel to this movie. To this Taylor has this to say:
David (Chase) said something that sounded like he was talking about (making more content). I said, ‘Wait wait, are you talking about a sequel?’ And he said, ‘Maybe.’
Now this doesn’t constitute a greenlit projection development by any means. But if we think about the context, and what these folks might have on their hands with the Sopranos prequel then it does start to feel like this movie just can’t be the only one. For starters, since The Many Saints of Newark takes place in 1967, about 33 years before the start of the actual series, all of the major parts have been recast. Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini, the titular Tony Soprano of note is in the lead role, playing the younger version of his actual father. That alone is almost too spine-tingling a notion to leave into just one movie.
And many of the series’ Sopranos crew is here as well with John Magaro playing Silvio Dante, Billy Magnussen as Paulie Walnuts Gualtieri, Vera Farmiga as Tony’s mother Livia, and Corey Stoll as Junior Soprano. Plus, we are seeing folks for the first time who didn’t technically live to see the series (so to speak). There is Jon Bernthal as Tony’s father Johnny Boy Soprano, Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti, and even Ray Liotta as another member of the family. This Sopranos prequel cast is just stacked. Do all of them make it to the HBO series? No, but there have to be a lot of stories in there over the next couple of decades. Remember, when we first meet up with Tony at the beginning of the HBO show he is already near the top of the family. It takes a lot to get there.
What ends up happening with the Sopranos prequel remains to be seen. Whether there is a sequel or a full series we can only hope. For starters, we have to get the actual film which has been a long time in the making. That is happening simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max on October 1st of this year.
