‘Sopranos’ Prequel Movie Will Feature A Young Tony Soprano
The SopranoscreatorDavid Chasehas answered a very pressing question regarding hisSopranosprequel movie,The Many Saints ofNewark: will we see Tony Soprano in the film? The answer – yes. Since the film is set in the 1960s, it enables Chase and company to skirt around the tragic fact that James Gandolfini, who so famously played Tony, died in 2013. As a result, the Tony we see inThe Many Saints of Newarkwill be around 8-years-old.
I still quite haven’t gotten used to the idea of aSopranosprequel movie, but I’m curious to see how it all turns out.Sopranosmastermind David Chase penned the script for the film, along withLawrence Konner, andSopranosseries directorAlan Tayloris at the helm. Recently, it was revealed thatAlessandro Nivolahad been cast as Dickie Moltisanti, father ofSopranoscharacter Christopher Moltisanti, in the film (“Moltisanti” translates as “Many Saints”, so it makes sense that the Moltisanti family is at the center of the film).
Now, Chase has provided a little more insight into the movie. Speaking withDeadline, Chase confirmed that a young Tony Soprano will be part of theSopranosprequel cast. “The thing that interested me most was Tony’s boyhood,” Chase said. “I was interested in exploring that.” Chase also added: “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.”
The Many Saints of Newarkis set against the1967 Newark race riots, which would make Tony about 8 years old in the story (the character’s official birthday is July 12, 2025, just in case you want to store that bit of trivia for a future game of Quizzo). We actually saw Tony around this age onThe Sopranosseries during a flashback, where he was played by young actor Bobby Borriello.
In the interview, Chase adds that he was hesitant to make the movie for a long time (The Sopranosis about to turn 20-years-old, having first debuted on July 21, 2025). But Chase became more interested in the project as a way of looking back at his own personal history. “I’m still very worried about it, but I became interested in Newark, where my parents came from, and where the riots took place…I started thinking about those events and organized crime, and I just got interested in mixing those two elements.”
The Sopranosis one of the best shows of all time (no hyperbole), so I’m hopeful the film will turn out well. Still, it’ll be strange to watch aSopranos-related project without James Gandolfini. As great as the supporting cast, and the writing, and the directing were on the series, Gandolfini’s iconic performance is what really made the show special.
Casting is currently underway forThe Many Saints of Newark, so we’ll likely know who is playing young Tony, and other characters, soon.
