It was revealed in a Deadline exclusive published Thursday morning that a Sopranos prequel is in the works.
David Chase, the creator and head writer for the HBO hit show, penned a movie script alongside Lawrence Konner with the working title “The Many Saints of Newark.” The script has been purchased by Warner Bros’ New Line Cinema.
“David is a masterful storyteller and we, along with our colleagues at HBO, are thrilled that he has decided to revisit, and enlarge, the Soprano universe in a feature film,” Chairman Toby Emmerich said.
This Sopranos prequel is set during the Newark riots of the ’60s when the city’s African-American and Italian populations were in heated conflict, Deadline reports.
David Chase Revives ‘The Sopranos’ With New Line Prequel Movie ‘The Many Saints Of Newark’ https://t.co/1amnuAogK0 pic.twitter.com/p14wMn4xSp
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) March 8, 2018
When speaking to Entertainment Weekly last June, Chase expressed his interest in the return of The Sopranos since its final season in 2007, but only as a Sopranos prequel — and that is exactly what we’re getting: a big-screen taste of the 21-Emmy-winning series that’s pre-Sopranos but probably just as “boss.”
NJ.com describes the 1967 Newark riots as a “five-day civil disturbance that tallied 26 deaths, hundreds injured and $10 million in damage to the city.” Sounds dangerous. Sounds deadly. Sounds so Sopranos.
So a Sopranos prequel, huh? Tell me more
Though information about the plot is limited at this time, the Sopranos prequel will reportedly feature some characters from the show such as Uncle Junior, Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano (Tony Soprano’s father) who founded the family empire and a younger version of Giovanni’s wife Livia.
James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano, died in 2013 from a heart attack at age 51.
In a past interview with 60 Minutes, Gandolfini attributed the success of The Sopranos to its writers (hey, Chase — that’s you!). “I’m shocked by it all the time, and I’m very lucky to be in that position,” he said of his lead role.
Do him proud, Chase. Do Tony proud.
