'Sopranos' Movie Casts James Gandolfini's Son as Young Tony
Like father, like son. The "Sopranos" prequel movie, "The Many Saints of Newark," has cast Michael Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, the role his late father James Gandolfini made famous.
Co-written by "Sopranos" series creator David Chase, "The Many Saints of Newark" is set amid the city's riots in the 1960s, when African Americans and Italian Americans clashed.
The elder Gandolfini won three Emmys playing Tony during the acclaimed HBO drama's run from 1999 to 2007. He died in 2013 at the age of 51.
“It’s a profound honor to continue my dad’s legacy while stepping into the shoes of a young Tony Soprano,” Michael Gandolfini said in a statement given to Deadline.
“I’m thrilled that I’m going to have the opportunity to work with David Chase and the incredible company of talent he has assembled for The Many Saints of Newark.”
The movie focuses more on Dickie Moltisanti, Tony's uncle, to be played by Alessandro Nivola. "Uncle Dickie" is a mob soldier who eventually dies at the hands of a crooked cop in the '70s.
Recently, Chase said he was interested in Tony's childhood. "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."
Michael Gandolfini is older than a "kid" at age 19, so it's possible the movie will jump around in time. The son is a chip off the old block; he has steadily been gaining acting experience and has appeared in "The Deuce" and "Ocean's 8."