‘It’s eerie, Michael’s so like his dad’
Do I have to watch the entire box set first?
No! Good news, given you’ve 86 episodes to cram in. In a nutshell: The Sopranos (1999-2007) centred on mob boss Tony Soprano (in an iconic performance by James Gandolfini), the depressed, brutal yet lovable head of a contemporary Italian-American criminal family. When Gandolfini died of a heart attack in 2013, aged
51, any sequel was unthinkable – and so The Many Saints Of Newark is a prequel.
‘It’s very much a standalone movie,’ says screenwriter/ Sopranos creator David Chase. ‘We’ve got enough in there that you don’t need to have seen The Sopranos to enjoy it.’
Obviously, it helps, though.
What’s the movie about?
Set between 1967 and ’71 this delves into the influences that shaped a young Anthony Soprano, then a child and teenager, into the complex character we love and admire (and fear). Rival gangsters are starting to challenge the ruling DiMeo crime family and race riots are tearing apart the city as an impressionable Tony is forced to become the man of the house, aged 11, when his gangster dad, ‘Johnny Boy’, is arrested in front of his eyes and
sent to jail for five years.
Who plays young Tony?
Michael Gandolfini, as in the real-life son of James. Michael was born in 1999, the same year The Sopranos first aired. He grew up on set (where he had his own toy box) but never watched the series, being too young for the graphic content, until he was cast in his father’s role. The transition is apparently seamless.
‘It’s actually kind of eerie sometimes,’ Chase has said. ‘I noticed during the readthrough that Michael started to do this thing with his shoulder and I thought, “Holy s***, that’s Jim.” It was incredible.’
Who else is in it?
Though it’s anticipated as Tony’s origin story, this Sopranos prequel is focused on an entirely new character: mid-level DiMeo associate Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro
Nivola). Uncle Dickie loomed large over the TV series, even though he never appeared in it. He is Carmela’s cousin, Tony’s beloved mentor and, later, the father of Christopher, who was just a baby when his dad was gunned down.
Another significant new player is Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr), Dickie’s childhood pal and right-hand man in Newark’s black community.
Elsewhere, mob movie regular Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) plays Dickie’s slippery father, ‘Hollywood Dick’.
Where’s it set?
Amid the 1967 Newark riots, which (Sopranos geek alert!) Livia is seen watching live on TV news during a flashback episode called Down Neck. The riots broke out after it was believed that a black cab driver was beaten to death by white Newark cops. Pent-up anger swept the city, and there was arson, looting and violence that left 26 people dead and many injured. The movie takes a long, hard look at the racial tensions between Newark’s two leading immigrant communities: the Italian Americans and the African Americans.
Will there be a sequel?
‘Maybe’ is the official word so far. Which is basically a yes, isn’t it? We’ll bet good money that Tony Soprano’s back in business again soon.
The Many Saints Of Newark is out today in cinemas