The team behind 'The Sopranos' prequel movie has finally confirmed that a young Tony Soprano will play a key role.
Critically-acclaimed TV series 'The Sopranos' bowed out in 2007, after six seasons. Leading man James Gandolfini passed away in 2013, scuppering any chance of a revival season or movie.
However, news coming in from Indie Wire is that the upcoming 'The Sopranos' prequel is beginning to gather momentum. Set during the famous 1960's Newark riots, 'The Many Saints of Newark' will hone in on the conflict that led to them.
The Italian and African-American communities were the centre points to the incident, and it looks like a young Tony Soprano might well be one of the catalysts of the upcoming movie.
In an interview with Deadline, series creator David Chase spoke about the struggle he's had with bringing 'The Sopranos' prequel to the big screen. He said, "I’m still very worried about it.
"I was living in suburban New Jersey at the time that happened, and my girlfriend was working in downtown Newark. [...] I started thinking about those events and organised crime, and I just got interested in mixing those two elements."
He continues, speaking about Tony Soprano, that "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."
Casting for a young Tony Soprano is currently underway. It has already been announced that Alessandro Nivola ('American Hustle') is playing Dickie Moltisanti. Dickie never appeared in 'The Sopranos,' although his character was a big reference for the show.
As casting is still underway for 'The Sopranos' prequel, there's no word yet on when the movie is due to release; but you can expect other casting confirmations in the coming weeks.
