Michael Gandolfini, the son of Emmy-winning actor James Gandolfini, is excited to be part of "The Sopranos" prequel, "The Many Saints of Newark." The movie from creator David Chace will take a page from the highly successful HBO show, where the older Gandolfini left a huge mark on television.
Speaking with TMZ, Michael said that he's looking forward to stepping into the shoes of his father, who made the character, mafia boss Tony Soprano, iconic. However, filming has not yet begun for the movie and Michael said he doesn't really how much the pre-production is progressing since he's "low on the totem pole."
The younger Gandolfini was cast in January to play his father's character as a teenager. "The Many Saints of Newark" will relegate Tony Soprano as a supporting character to the lead, Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti. Alessandro Nivola has been tapped to play Dickie.
Throughout the run of "The Sopranos" (1999 to 2007), Dickie's character was always talked about but never seen and he was not even shown in flashbacks. But Tony often talked about him because he set Dickie on a pedestal. He was like a father to him.
"The Many Saints of Newark" will expound on the kind of relationship and influence Dickie had over Tony as a young man. However, the show will also tackle race riots in America in the late '60s. This was a time period when Italians in Newark were at odds with the African-Americans.
Joining Michael and Nivola in the movie are "The Punisher" Star Jon Bernthal and Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga. Though their roles were not identified, fans of the series assume they will play Tony's mom, Livia and Johnny Soprano.
"The Many Saints of Newark" isn't the first movie project for Michael. He played a bit part in "Ocean's Eight" and he was in the second season of "The Deuce," which also airs on HBO.
Last January, Michael attended the reunion of the 20th anniversary of "The Sopranos" to represent his father, who died due to a heart attack in 2013 while the family was on a vacation in Rome, Italy. On "Today," Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played the daughter Meadow Soprano, talked about how her TV dad is very much missed.
After the reunion, Michael posted a photo on Instagram with Sigler and Robert Iler (AJ Soprano) and said that he feels so lucky to have grown up with the two stars. When "The Sopranos" began on HBO, Michael was a few years younger than Iler.
HBO has not yet announced when "The Many Saints of Newark" will premiere. Aside from this movie prequel, the network is also going to air the movie spinoff of its other hit series, "Deadwood."
