Planet Rugby Forum

David Chase is set to return to the universe of The Sopranos with a big screen-prequel.

The script, with the working title of The Many Saints of Newark, has been purchased by New Line and will be set against the backdrop of the Newark riots of the 1960s. It was written by Chase and Lawrence Konner, who has previously written for The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire.

“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,” New Line’s chairman, Toby Emmerich, said.

According to Deadline, details are scarce but the script will see some familiar characters from the show appear. The HBO drama ran for six seasons, winning 21 Emmys and making stars of James Gandolfini and Edie Falco.

In 2016, Chase spoke about the possibility of a prequel with Deadline. “I’ve said it from the beginning: if I had a really good idea and I thought it could be really entertaining and it wouldn’t upset what was done I might do it,” he said. Last year, when speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he suggested that he was more open to the idea. “I could conceive of maybe a prequel of The Sopranos,” he said. “I could never see [a return of the show] except as a prequel.”

Since the end of The Sopranos, Chase wrote and directed music drama Not Fade Away in 2012. It received mainly positive reviews yet was a box office disappointment, making just $600,000 from a $20m budget.

The 1967 Newark riots saw four days of looting and violence that led to the deaths of 26 people. They were the result of a long-running feeling of disenfranchisement among black people who had been racially profiled, subjected to violence from the authorities, and denied opportunities. The inciting incident was an act of police brutality against a black taxi driver.

Mog The Almighty wrote:The more the better for my 2c. Good news.

Bullettyme wrote:Could be really good, or a case of better to let sleeping fish lie?

Bad idea. The ‘60s flashbacks (which were more like dream sequences in some cases) were one of the few weak points of the sho

bimboman wrote:

Bad idea. The ‘60s flashbacks (which were more like dream sequences in some cases) were one of the few weak points of the sho

The roots of Tony's psychosis were a weak point ?

Away with you.

naki wrote:

bimboman wrote:

Bad idea. The ‘60s flashbacks (which were more like dream sequences in some cases) were one of the few weak points of the sho

The roots of Tony's psychosis were a weak point ?

Away with you.

They seemed like they were from another, more derivative show. You could get to the root of Tony’s problems in just one scene with his mother and another with Melfi. They always felt superfluous.

bimboman wrote:

naki wrote:

bimboman wrote:

Bad idea. The ‘60s flashbacks (which were more like dream sequences in some cases) were one of the few weak points of the sho

The roots of Tony's psychosis were a weak point ?

Away with you.

They seemed like they were from another, more derivative show. You could get to the root of Tony’s problems in just one scene with his mother and another with Melfi. They always felt superfluous.

You're missing the fingers being chopped off and his first murder.

Away with you .

naki wrote:Bad idea. The ‘60s flashbacks (which were more like dream sequences in some cases) were one of the few weak points of the show - like an extended Goodfellas riff.

Chase is also much better suited to long form. That movie he made (also set in the ‘60s from memory) was dull.

Vince Gilligan has succeeded with Better Call Saul because, as well as coming hot on the heels of his BB success, it’s the same setting and roughly the same characters but is a very different, patiently developed show. This won’t have that advantage.

Boo and hiss I say. Should have died with Gandolfini

I found the travails of a modern day mobster much more interesting though, there's plenty of movies about the "glory days" in the 60s and 70s when the mobs were in relatively full pomp. It's fortunately an organisation in terminal decline throughout The Sopranos, and now (according to various news snippets) it seems to have withered away everywhere with the exception of NYC and Montreal.

naki wrote:No, the first murder with Paulie was handled much more effectively - just done in quick flashes and appropriately disturbing.

bimboman wrote:Most things with Janice weren't great part of the show.


Junior and Dad will make a great film, now stop being a curmudgeon .

Bullettyme wrote:

naki wrote:No, the first murder with Paulie was handled much more effectively - just done in quick flashes and appropriately disturbing.

Agreed that was very well done.

The actor for his dad he was truly something right out of the "stereotypical Italian street tough" playbook.

naki wrote:

bimboman wrote:Most things with Janice weren't great part of the show.


Junior and Dad will make a great film, now stop being a curmudgeon .

Come on, Janice was great. Like a comic version of her mother except even more unhinged and a necessary reminder of the toxic Soprano genetics after the actress who played Lydia passed away.

Junior IS Dominic Chianese, those are some big shoes to fill. And as Bullet says, they won’t have time to fill them in a 90 minute movie.

Regardless, I’ll watch with faint hope.

Bullettyme wrote:

naki wrote:No, the first murder with Paulie was handled much more effectively - just done in quick flashes and appropriately disturbing.

Agreed that was very well done.

The actor for his dad he was truly something right out of the "stereotypical Italian street tough" playbook.

bimboman wrote:

naki wrote:

bimboman wrote:Most things with Janice weren't great part of the show.


Junior and Dad will make a great film, now stop being a curmudgeon .

Come on, Janice was great. Like a comic version of her mother except even more unhinged and a necessary reminder of the toxic Soprano genetics after the actress who played Lydia passed away.

Junior IS Dominic Chianese, those are some big shoes to fill. And as Bullet says, they won’t have time to fill them in a 90 minute movie.

Regardless, I’ll watch with faint hope.

I'd prefer you to leave it to the rest of us if you're cant be happy.

Duff Paddy wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:57 pm The Sopranos prequel film is due out in the Autumn. Titled The Many Saints of Newark. Written by David Chase. The first trailer dropped today.

https://youtu.be/mXMzT-D3SJo

Newsome wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:26 am I thought they were making a prequel as a TV show, with Gondolfini's son playing his father??

Slim 293 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:46 am

Newsome wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:26 am I thought they were making a prequel as a TV show, with Gondolfini's son playing his father??

No, they were making a prequel as a movie, with Gandolfini’s son playing a young Tony… which is what this is.

naki wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:17 am I can only assume that Chase had nothing to do with that trailer. If not then reducing the greatest show in the history of television to a mediocre mob movie seems a real prospect! Explosions! Cliched soundtrack! Ray Liotta! Jesus.

At least Gandolfini Jr looks and sounds the part. But this could get ugly

Duff Paddy wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:08 am

naki wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:17 am I can only assume that Chase had nothing to do with that trailer. If not then reducing the greatest show in the history of television to a mediocre mob movie seems a real prospect! Explosions! Cliched soundtrack! Ray Liotta! Jesus.

At least Gandolfini Jr looks and sounds the part. But this could get ugly

Yeah it’s a shocker. All slow pans and fades to black, far too theatrical. Essentially everything that the Sopranos wasn’t. The brilliance of the Sopranos was the subtlety with which they developed the characters and the storylines. There was a normality to it all, Tony’s biggest problems were with his family, something that is universal. The tone of that trailer is all wrong, it’s like they are aiming it at the popcorn market who want something else. I’m very worried about this being an extreme let down but I can’t believe David Chase would allow them to do that to his magnum opus.

naki wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:17 am I can only assume that Chase had nothing to do with that trailer. If not then reducing the greatest show in the history of television to a mediocre mob movie seems a real prospect! Explosions! Cliched soundtrack! Ray Liotta! Jesus.

At least Gandolfini Jr looks and sounds the part. But this could get ugly

eldanielfire wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:15 am

naki wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:17 am I can only assume that Chase had nothing to do with that trailer. If not then reducing the greatest show in the history of television to a mediocre mob movie seems a real prospect! Explosions! Cliched soundtrack! Ray Liotta! Jesus.

At least Gandolfini Jr looks and sounds the part. But this could get ugly

He looks and sounds the part, but it's Gandolfini, an impersonation won't do, that guy had presence and charisma, a great and natural delivery of humour, could intimidate or be a big cuddly bear and a natural way to draw empathy to make you like a character. If the new guy can't do all of that (and it's possibly many an excellent actor couldn't pull of Tony then it will just be a "Meh" prequel. Which is the case of most Hollywood prequels.

mr bungle wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:03 am

eldanielfire wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:15 am

naki wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:17 am I can only assume that Chase had nothing to do with that trailer. If not then reducing the greatest show in the history of television to a mediocre mob movie seems a real prospect! Explosions! Cliched soundtrack! Ray Liotta! Jesus.

At least Gandolfini Jr looks and sounds the part. But this could get ugly

He looks and sounds the part, but it's Gandolfini, an impersonation won't do, that guy had presence and charisma, a great and natural delivery of humour, could intimidate or be a big cuddly bear and a natural way to draw empathy to make you like a character. If the new guy can't do all of that (and it's possibly many an excellent actor couldn't pull of Tony then it will just be a "Meh" prequel. Which is the case of most Hollywood prequels.

The family resemblance goes some way to papering over that in one’s mind. Much like seeing Ice Cube’s son play him in Straight Outta Compton. Made the portrayal instantly believable.

Duff Paddy wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:57 pm The Sopranos prequel film is due out in the Autumn. Titled The Many Saints of Newark. Written by David Chase. The first trailer dropped today.

https://youtu.be/mXMzT-D3SJo

Newsome wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:08 am

Slim 293 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:46 am

Newsome wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:26 am I thought they were making a prequel as a TV show, with Gondolfini's son playing his father??

No, they were making a prequel as a movie, with Gandolfini’s son playing a young Tony… which is what this is.

Gandolfini's son never had the makings of a varisty athlete anyway.

Morgan14 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 3:21 pm Yeah, nah. I think the mob boss angle has been fully explored, not sure they can come up with something 'different' and interesting, and potentially tarnish a hallowed series.


I'll still give it a watch though! In case I'm wrong (or to prove myself right, ha)

Short Man Syndrome wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:56 pm

Newsome wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:08 am

Slim 293 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:46 am

Newsome wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:26 am I thought they were making a prequel as a TV show, with Gondolfini's son playing his father??

No, they were making a prequel as a movie, with Gandolfini’s son playing a young Tony… which is what this is.

Gandolfini's son never had the makings of a varisty athlete anyway.

Those guys from Seton Hall were seven foot tall some of them!