HBO’s groundbreaking The Sopranos universe is coming to big screen with a prequel co-written by series creator David Chase.
New Line Cinema has purchased the screenplay for The Many Saints of Newark, which is set in the 1960s amid the Newark riots.
There are no specific plot details right now, but the film is likely to focus on the New Jersey mob heyday era, often visited through flashbacks throughout The Sopranos’ run on TV.
While there’s no official word, the story is likely to feature Tony Soprano’s parents Johnny Boy and Livia Soprano, as well as Corrado “Uncle Junior” Soprano.
Deadline, which broke the news on Thursday, wrote: “That was a time when the African-Americans and the Italians of Newark were at each other’s throats, and amongst the gangsters of each group, those conflicts became especially lethal.”
Deadline says there “will be room” for some characters previously featured within the series, but no names were mentioned.
Chase will produce the movie, co-written with fellow Sopranos alumni Lawrence Konner, and will also help to choose the director.
David Chase has often said he had no plans to revisit The Sopranos, beyond the controversial ending of season 6B back in 2007. However, he has remained open to a prequel. Now it actually happening.
Warner Bros Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich said: “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.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
