In the wake of the release of The Many Saints of Newark and the revitalization of The Sopranos series, WarnerMedia has begun talks with Sopranos creator David Chase about developing a prequel series following the events of the feature film.
The Many Saints of Newark took place in the 1960s and 70s, focusing on a young Tony Soprano, his father Johnny and uncle Dickie Moltisanti. The film, which was released in the US to theatres and HBO Max earlier this month and will be released in UK theatres tomorrow, may spawn a prequel TV series according to Deadline who spoke with WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff, who simply said “We’re talking to David about a new series, Sopranos related.”
While Many Saints of Newark didn’t earn a ton of money at the box office, Sarnoff pointed to how much audiences were returning to theatres as well as the film’s popularity on the HBO Max streaming service. Not only that, but the prequel helped bring Sopranos back into popularity as the show has become one of the streamer’s most watched series in recent weeks. “You see The Sopranos pop into the top ten of viewed series on the service and it’s given it an entirely new life,” Sarnoff said. “It’s literally lifted all of The Sopranos franchise in a new way. You can’t measure just by the box office.”
Sarnoff did say, though, that the decision to continue a prequel with a new series or another feature film has not been yet been finalized and will likely be up to Chase and Sopranos writer Terry Winter.
The Sopranos, which ran for 6 seasons from 1999 – 2007, was HBO’s first groundbreaking television series and is often cited as the game changer for the television landscape. It pushed the boundaries of what a television series could do and arguably led to the creation of shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, Dexter and more. Winter even went on to create Boardwalk Empire, a Sopranos-like show about bootlegging during Prohibition and the mafia’s rise to power across America during that time. The series was nominated for many awards in acting, directing, writing and drama categories throughout its run.
Young Anthony Soprano is growing up in one of the most tumultuous eras in Newark’s history, becoming a man just as rival gangsters begin to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family’s hold over the increasingly race-torn city. Caught up in the changing times is the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti, who struggles to manage both his professional and personal responsibilities—and whose influence over his nephew will help make the impressionable teenager into the all-powerful mob boss we’ll later come to know: Tony Soprano.
The Many Saints of Newark stars Michael Gandolfini, Alessandro Nivola, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Michela De Rossi, John Magaro, Ray Liotta and Vera Farmiga.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.