Michael will soon star in 'The Sopranos' prequel 'The Many Saints of Newark' as a young Tony Soprano

Hopes are high for 'The Many Saints of Newark', a feature film which serves as a prequel to hit TV series 'The Sopranos'.

The movie will see Michael Gandolfini, the son of James Gandolfini, play a young Tony Soprano. Without a doubt, those are some big shoes to fill.

Michael opened up to Vanity Fair about his father in a recent interview.

He explained that James didn't really let him watch the series he is renowned for when he was young: "My dad didn’t want me to see Tony Soprano—the violence, the angry, the mean.

"Of course I was on set and would visit him in his trailer, but I had never watched the show…. I never knew Tony Soprano. I only knew my dad."

He also explained how a football injury inspired his acting career as he subsequently auditioned for a high school play.

He added: "I’d gone to acting therapy after my dad passed. I’d resisted it, but it sparked something."

The young Gandolfini's manager was the one to insist he try out for the 'Sopranos' prequel.

James then went back to watch the first season of the TV show,

"It was really hard to watch my dad," he said. "I recorded four hours of his monologues with Melfi and walked around New York with them constantly, constantly, constantly playing in my ear."

What can we expect to see in the character of young Tony Soprano? The actor explains:" It’s an origin story through the eyes of Dickie Moltisanti, Christopher’s father.

"The Tony Soprano we know has this beautiful vulnerability underneath and this rough exterior, but what if we flip that on its side and you watch a creative, hopeful, kind, curious kid get whittled down and formed into what he has to be?"

A final word on his father's legacy, Gandolfini says: "my dad constantly told me, if I’d ask a question about acting, ‘I’m not your acting coach. I’m your dad,’ which I really appreciate now."

'The Many Saints of Newark' currently has a release date of 22 October in Ireland and the UK.