The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
#1
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The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
EXCLUSIVE: David Chase is finally ready to return to the New Jersey turf of his iconic creation The Sopranos. New Line has purchased the screenplay The Many Saints of Newark, the working title for a feature prequel of The Sopranos that is set in the era of the Newark riots in the 60s. That was a time when the African-Americans and the Italians of Newark were at each other’s throats, and amongst the gangsters of each group, those conflicts became especially lethal.
The script was written by Chase and Lawrence Konner, the prolific screen and television writer whose credits include The Sopranos.
Chase finally returning to expand The Sopranos lore will be welcome news to the legions who still feel that his HBO series is the greatest of all time. The groundbreaking show ran for six seasons from 1999 – 2007. It put HBO on the map, established the market for DVD sales of popular series, and won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and Peabody Awards for its first two seasons. It launched the stars of a slew of actors and revived others, most notably the late James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steven Van Zandt, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Steve Schirripa and on and on.
Some of the beloved characters from the series will appear in the film. I couldn’t get any more information about the plot, but the time period indicates there will be room for Tony Soprano’s father, Giovanni “Johnny Boy,” the former captain of the Soprano crew (played in flashbacks by Joseph Siravo), and a younger version of his wife Livia (played indelibly in the show’s first season by Nancy Marchand), and Tony’s uncle Junior, played by Chianese.
Chase will serve as producer as well as co-writer, and he will be involved in selecting a director.
This is a real coup for Warner Bros Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich.
“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,” Emmerich said.
Chase’s last feature was the 2010 critically acclaimed Paramount film Not Fade Away. Chase Films’s Nicole Lambert will be executive producer.
Chase’s deal was made by his UTA agents Peter Benedek and Andrew Cannava, and attorney Michael Gendler of Gendler and Kelly. Konner is also repped by UTA.
The script was written by Chase and Lawrence Konner, the prolific screen and television writer whose credits include The Sopranos.
Chase finally returning to expand The Sopranos lore will be welcome news to the legions who still feel that his HBO series is the greatest of all time. The groundbreaking show ran for six seasons from 1999 – 2007. It put HBO on the map, established the market for DVD sales of popular series, and won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and Peabody Awards for its first two seasons. It launched the stars of a slew of actors and revived others, most notably the late James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steven Van Zandt, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Steve Schirripa and on and on.
Some of the beloved characters from the series will appear in the film. I couldn’t get any more information about the plot, but the time period indicates there will be room for Tony Soprano’s father, Giovanni “Johnny Boy,” the former captain of the Soprano crew (played in flashbacks by Joseph Siravo), and a younger version of his wife Livia (played indelibly in the show’s first season by Nancy Marchand), and Tony’s uncle Junior, played by Chianese.
Chase will serve as producer as well as co-writer, and he will be involved in selecting a director.
This is a real coup for Warner Bros Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich.
“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,” Emmerich said.
Chase’s last feature was the 2010 critically acclaimed Paramount film Not Fade Away. Chase Films’s Nicole Lambert will be executive producer.
Chase’s deal was made by his UTA agents Peter Benedek and Andrew Cannava, and attorney Michael Gendler of Gendler and Kelly. Konner is also repped by UTA.
#3
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
Paulie would be pretty young, not sure how much involvement he’d have but would be cool to see- especially since he never had any scenes with Junior.
Not Fade Away was disappointing, but The Sopranos is my number one show, so I’m looking forward to this.
Not Fade Away was disappointing, but The Sopranos is my number one show, so I’m looking forward to this.
#4
DVD Talk Legend
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
I have mixed feelings about this. You know a movie isn’t going to get nearly as in depth as the series was able to for obvious reasons, and it’s probably not going to have any of the original cast members. So what separates it from any other mafia based film other than the fact that its being done by David Chase and has ties to The Sopranos? I think the time for this passed a long time ago personally and I’m not terribly excited about it despite liking the show a lot.
Last edited by Mike86; 01-10-19 at 11:43 AM.
#5
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
I think this sounds like an incredibly bad idea.
I don't like the idea of someone trying to play a young Tony Soprano.
I don't like the idea of anyone trying to capture the glorious magic that was Nancy Marchand playing Tony's Mom.
Plus we have already learned enough about the characters past by watching six seasons of the show. They have provided enough backstory.
A better idea would be to make Sopranos: The Next Generation.
Gandolfini's death makes the plot a no-brainer: Tony is killed in a mob hit and forces his codependent mess of a family to step up to the plate and take the reins. Carmela takes control and makes a mess of things, Tony, Jr. nearly gets killed trying to get revenge for his Dad's killing and Meadow has to ditch her life as a part time attorney and housewife to take over her Dad's business becoming the Mafia Princess we always knew she would one day be.
It practically writes itself!
I don't like the idea of someone trying to play a young Tony Soprano.
I don't like the idea of anyone trying to capture the glorious magic that was Nancy Marchand playing Tony's Mom.
Plus we have already learned enough about the characters past by watching six seasons of the show. They have provided enough backstory.
A better idea would be to make Sopranos: The Next Generation.
Gandolfini's death makes the plot a no-brainer: Tony is killed in a mob hit and forces his codependent mess of a family to step up to the plate and take the reins. Carmela takes control and makes a mess of things, Tony, Jr. nearly gets killed trying to get revenge for his Dad's killing and Meadow has to ditch her life as a part time attorney and housewife to take over her Dad's business becoming the Mafia Princess we always knew she would one day be.
It practically writes itself!
#6
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
But... they already did this. Several times. On The Sopranos.
#7
DVD Talk Legend
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
Sounds like a movie in the same "universe" with very limited ties to The Soprano's. Just another gangster movie trying to capture a built in fan base. I'll give it a shot because it's David Chase not because there is a Soprano in it.
#8
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
#9
DVD Talk Legend
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
I think he just meant an idea along those lines following a new group not literally calling it that. Personally that idea doesn’t necessarily interest me either. I mean Anthony is a whiny little bitch and I wouldn’t want a series focused on a group where he was a main player. Not sure who else would follow in the footsteps of the original. The time to have done something has passed with Gandolfini’s death in my opinion. I think it should be left as is, no prequels or sequels.
#10
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
I think he just meant an idea along those lines following a new group not literally calling it that. Personally that idea doesn’t necessarily interest me either. I mean Anthony is a whiny little bitch and I wouldn’t want a series focused on a group where he was a main player. Not sure who else would follow in the footsteps of the original. The time to have done something has passed with Gandolfini’s death in my opinion. I think it should be left as is, no prequels or sequels.
But ending with “it practically writes itself” also seems like the desperate cry of a development exec with no ideas, so that fits too.
#11
DVD Talk Legend
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
I kinda figured. In most cases I don’t think a scenario like that is an awful idea just here I don’t think there are strong enough characters to spin off.
#12
re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
As a huge Sopranos fan, I still have 0 interest in this project. The only thing I would have wanted to possibly see was a sequel to the series, but with Gandolfini's death in 2013 I don't see that happening.
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re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
Alan Taylor has just closed a deal to direct. Solid choice, especially given his history with the series.
#16
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re: The Many Saints of Newark (2021, W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos prequel
It looks like David Chase and New Line have found their first star for the “Sopranos” feature film.
Sources tell Variety that Alessandro Nivola is in negotiations to star as Dickey Moltisanti in “The Many Saints of Newark,” the prequel movie to the critically acclaimed and massively successful HBO TV series.
New Line could not be reached for comment on the casting.
In the series, Moltisanti is the deceased uncle of Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, and father of Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli. In the show, the character never appears, as he was murdered prior to the drama’s timeline, but is talked about as someone who, along with Soprano’s father and Uncle Junior, helped turn their small gang into the New Jersey crime family that Soprano eventually heads.
Alan Taylor is directing from a script that series creator Chase penned along with Lawrence Konner. Chase is also producing the pic.
Plot details are vague other than it being set during the Newark riots in the ’60s. More players from the “Sopranos” lore are expected to be joining Nivola’s character.
The role is a major get for Nivola, who has done more character actor work over the years in films like “American Hustle,” “Selma,” “Neon Demon,” and “A Most Violent Year.” He was recently seen as Bernie Madoff’s son Mark in HBO’s made-for-TV movie “The Wizard of Lies.”
He is repped by CAA and Management 360.
Sources tell Variety that Alessandro Nivola is in negotiations to star as Dickey Moltisanti in “The Many Saints of Newark,” the prequel movie to the critically acclaimed and massively successful HBO TV series.
New Line could not be reached for comment on the casting.
In the series, Moltisanti is the deceased uncle of Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, and father of Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli. In the show, the character never appears, as he was murdered prior to the drama’s timeline, but is talked about as someone who, along with Soprano’s father and Uncle Junior, helped turn their small gang into the New Jersey crime family that Soprano eventually heads.
Alan Taylor is directing from a script that series creator Chase penned along with Lawrence Konner. Chase is also producing the pic.
Plot details are vague other than it being set during the Newark riots in the ’60s. More players from the “Sopranos” lore are expected to be joining Nivola’s character.
The role is a major get for Nivola, who has done more character actor work over the years in films like “American Hustle,” “Selma,” “Neon Demon,” and “A Most Violent Year.” He was recently seen as Bernie Madoff’s son Mark in HBO’s made-for-TV movie “The Wizard of Lies.”
He is repped by CAA and Management 360.
#17
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The Many Saints Of Newark (W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos preque
Looking forward to some side-slices of the Moltisalto Sr. household and lifesytle. It says on HBO's Sopranos page that Dickie was "something of a mentor to the youthful Tony", so it's likely that we'll see a young Tony again.
Last edited by Jack Straw; 11-24-18 at 12:40 PM.
#18
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Re: The Many Saints Of Newark (W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos preque
EXCLUSIVE: It’s official. Tony Soprano lives on!
In the week that The Sopranos celebrates the 20th anniversary of the launch of the groundbreaking HBO series, David Chase has given Deadline a bit of clarity on the prequel feature film The Many Saints of Newark that he wrote with Sopranos alum Lawrence Konner. Chase confirms that a young Tony Soprano will be part of the tapestry of the period film.
As Deadline was first to reveal last March, the film will be made by New Line and Warner Bros. As was the case with the show, Chase is clearly the guiding creative influence. That included setting director Alan Taylor, who helmed nine episodes of the show, and Alessandro Nivola to play Dickie Moltisanti. He was the father of Tony Soprano’s future protégé Christopher and a mob soldier who died in the ’70s at the hands of a crooked cop whom Christopher (Michael Imperioli) would later murder on the day of his retirement from the police force. That character will provide an entry point into a look at the mob’s origins in the turbulence of racial tensions between African Americans and Italian Americans in Newark, NJ at that time.
Chase spoke to Deadline as part of an oral history on the series that will run Wednesday. Chase and many of the cast will gather for The Sopranos Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday with five days of live events and airings of classic episodes at the IFC Center, presented by the Split Screens festival.
“I was interested in Newark and life in Newark at that time,” Chase told Deadline. “I used to go to down there every Saturday night for dinner with my grandparents. But the thing that interested me most was Tony’s boyhood. I was interested in exploring that.”
It harkens back to The Sopranos early episodes, when Soprano had his first sessions with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi and lamented how organized crime had changed for the worse, and that he’d missed the good all days. It wasn’t all great, though.
“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,” Chase said.
Chase could have at any time done a sequel film, but for many years was content for the legacy of the series to speak for it. The sequel became impossible when its iconic star James Gandolfini died in 2013. The prequel seemed a new way to further explore the subculture and the origins of Ganfolfini’s iconic mobster, raised by tough guy father and mob soldier Johnny Soprano and Livia, his moody and nagging mother personified in later years by the late Nancy Marchand. The combination of those parents led to Soprano’s panic attacks that became a continuing narrative in the series and humanized Soprano.
“I was against [the movie] for a long time and I’m still very worried about it, but I became interested in Newark, where my parents came from, and where the riots took place,” he said. “I was living in suburban New Jersey at the time that happened, and my girlfriend was working in downtown Newark. I was just interested in the whole Newark riot thing. I started thinking about those events and organized crime, and I just got interested in mixing those two elements.”
Chase acknowledged there was also the opportunity to explore the period that Tony Soprano glorified in the show’s early episodes.
“It is going to depict when it was good,” he said. “The mafia was very polished at that time, how they dressed and what they did,” he said. “Those traditions were followed more loosely in the series. These weren’t guys who wore tracksuits, back then.”Chase understands that the movie will be running up against the memory of the original series, which I bada binged through the holidays and which holds up remarkably well.
“Yeah, I feel they’re out there with shotguns, just waiting,” he said.
The movie is casting up right now for production this year.
In the week that The Sopranos celebrates the 20th anniversary of the launch of the groundbreaking HBO series, David Chase has given Deadline a bit of clarity on the prequel feature film The Many Saints of Newark that he wrote with Sopranos alum Lawrence Konner. Chase confirms that a young Tony Soprano will be part of the tapestry of the period film.
As Deadline was first to reveal last March, the film will be made by New Line and Warner Bros. As was the case with the show, Chase is clearly the guiding creative influence. That included setting director Alan Taylor, who helmed nine episodes of the show, and Alessandro Nivola to play Dickie Moltisanti. He was the father of Tony Soprano’s future protégé Christopher and a mob soldier who died in the ’70s at the hands of a crooked cop whom Christopher (Michael Imperioli) would later murder on the day of his retirement from the police force. That character will provide an entry point into a look at the mob’s origins in the turbulence of racial tensions between African Americans and Italian Americans in Newark, NJ at that time.
Chase spoke to Deadline as part of an oral history on the series that will run Wednesday. Chase and many of the cast will gather for The Sopranos Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday with five days of live events and airings of classic episodes at the IFC Center, presented by the Split Screens festival.
“I was interested in Newark and life in Newark at that time,” Chase told Deadline. “I used to go to down there every Saturday night for dinner with my grandparents. But the thing that interested me most was Tony’s boyhood. I was interested in exploring that.”
It harkens back to The Sopranos early episodes, when Soprano had his first sessions with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi and lamented how organized crime had changed for the worse, and that he’d missed the good all days. It wasn’t all great, though.
“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,” Chase said.
Chase could have at any time done a sequel film, but for many years was content for the legacy of the series to speak for it. The sequel became impossible when its iconic star James Gandolfini died in 2013. The prequel seemed a new way to further explore the subculture and the origins of Ganfolfini’s iconic mobster, raised by tough guy father and mob soldier Johnny Soprano and Livia, his moody and nagging mother personified in later years by the late Nancy Marchand. The combination of those parents led to Soprano’s panic attacks that became a continuing narrative in the series and humanized Soprano.
“I was against [the movie] for a long time and I’m still very worried about it, but I became interested in Newark, where my parents came from, and where the riots took place,” he said. “I was living in suburban New Jersey at the time that happened, and my girlfriend was working in downtown Newark. I was just interested in the whole Newark riot thing. I started thinking about those events and organized crime, and I just got interested in mixing those two elements.”
Chase acknowledged there was also the opportunity to explore the period that Tony Soprano glorified in the show’s early episodes.
“It is going to depict when it was good,” he said. “The mafia was very polished at that time, how they dressed and what they did,” he said. “Those traditions were followed more loosely in the series. These weren’t guys who wore tracksuits, back then.”Chase understands that the movie will be running up against the memory of the original series, which I bada binged through the holidays and which holds up remarkably well.
“Yeah, I feel they’re out there with shotguns, just waiting,” he said.
The movie is casting up right now for production this year.
#19
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Many Saints Of Newark (W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos preque
Judging by the the title, The Many Saints of Newark, the film will likely focus on the Moltisanti family, and not the Soprano family, which might leave a lot of people disappointed.
”Moltisanti” translates to “many saints,” effectively making the the title The Moltisantis of Newark.
”Moltisanti” translates to “many saints,” effectively making the the title The Moltisantis of Newark.
#20
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Re: The Many Saints Of Newark (W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos preque
Judging by the the title, The Many Saints of Newark, the film will likely focus on the Moltisanti family, and not the Soprano family, which might leave a lot of people disappointed.
”Moltisanti” translates to “many saints,” effectively making the the title The Moltisantis of Newark.
”Moltisanti” translates to “many saints,” effectively making the the title The Moltisantis of Newark.
#21
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Many Saints Of Newark (W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos preque
I'm cautiously optimistic about this, but I agree with the earlier poster who said this might (will?) bomb - it certainly doesn't seem like a theatrical blockbuster and without James G. (or any other cast member from the original, it appears), will anyone care? Plus, the clunky title will mean only "die-hard" fans will know it's connected to The Sopranos as all. Chase should have cut a deal with HBO to do a cable movie - which this feels much more like.
The biggest "plus" for me is the fact that Chase is letting someone else direct...I've always been a fan of his writing, but his direction has always been lacking for me.
The biggest "plus" for me is the fact that Chase is letting someone else direct...I've always been a fan of his writing, but his direction has always been lacking for me.
#22
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Many Saints Of Newark (W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos preque
I could be wrong, but didn't Chase say in an earlier interview that Johnny Boy will be in prison during the events of this movie?
#23
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Re: The Many Saints Of Newark (W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos preque
#24
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Re: The Many Saints Of Newark (W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos preque
Alessandro Nivola, star of the upcoming “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark,” revealed that Tony Soprano, the protagonist in the iconic HBO series, will be a central character in the film.
Nivola spoke to Variety at the 20th anniversary of “The Sopranos” in New York on Wednesday, where the cast and creator David Chase held a panel.
Nivola said his character, Dickie Moltisani, will be “the central character,” and that the title references the name Moltisani, which means “many saints” in Italian. His character is the father of Christopher Moltisani (Michael Imperioli), who in the series is the protege of Tony Soprano, the Jersey mob boss portrayed by James Gandolfini. In the show, Dickie is only mentioned by the characters and never seen, having died when Christopher was young. Nivola also revealed the setting and major relationships that will be depicted in the forthcoming film.
“It’s set in 1967 with the backdrop of the race riots that were happening in Newark at that time, and the racial tension between the Italians and the blacks at that moment is a big part of the backdrop of the story,” Nivola said.
The actor also said Chase, who is writing the upcoming film, told him that Dickie and Tony’s relationship “is an important one in the film.”
“Dickie, as he’s mentioned throughout the ‘Sopranos’ series, was an important figure in Tony’s life,” Nivola said. “He was a real mentor figure, because Tony’s dad was is in prison a lot and Dickie didn’t have any children until later in his life until his early 40s, and so he treated Tony like a surrogate son.”
Nivola said getting this role, which Variety announced in November, made him see that “there’s something in the stars.” The Italian-American only found out after getting the job that “The Sopranos” used his grandfather’s sculptures as the background in an episode from Season 2 that was shot in Naples, Italy.
Throughout its run from 1999 to 2007, “The Sopranos” earned 21 Emmy Awards and has been called by critics one of the best television series of all-time for its acting, writing, and directing. Variety previously reported that “Game of Thrones” director Alan Taylor would helm the prequel, from a script that Chase wrote with Lawrence Konner, and that Chase is producing the picture. No release date has been set at this time.
Nivola spoke to Variety at the 20th anniversary of “The Sopranos” in New York on Wednesday, where the cast and creator David Chase held a panel.
Nivola said his character, Dickie Moltisani, will be “the central character,” and that the title references the name Moltisani, which means “many saints” in Italian. His character is the father of Christopher Moltisani (Michael Imperioli), who in the series is the protege of Tony Soprano, the Jersey mob boss portrayed by James Gandolfini. In the show, Dickie is only mentioned by the characters and never seen, having died when Christopher was young. Nivola also revealed the setting and major relationships that will be depicted in the forthcoming film.
“It’s set in 1967 with the backdrop of the race riots that were happening in Newark at that time, and the racial tension between the Italians and the blacks at that moment is a big part of the backdrop of the story,” Nivola said.
The actor also said Chase, who is writing the upcoming film, told him that Dickie and Tony’s relationship “is an important one in the film.”
“Dickie, as he’s mentioned throughout the ‘Sopranos’ series, was an important figure in Tony’s life,” Nivola said. “He was a real mentor figure, because Tony’s dad was is in prison a lot and Dickie didn’t have any children until later in his life until his early 40s, and so he treated Tony like a surrogate son.”
Nivola said getting this role, which Variety announced in November, made him see that “there’s something in the stars.” The Italian-American only found out after getting the job that “The Sopranos” used his grandfather’s sculptures as the background in an episode from Season 2 that was shot in Naples, Italy.
Throughout its run from 1999 to 2007, “The Sopranos” earned 21 Emmy Awards and has been called by critics one of the best television series of all-time for its acting, writing, and directing. Variety previously reported that “Game of Thrones” director Alan Taylor would helm the prequel, from a script that Chase wrote with Lawrence Konner, and that Chase is producing the picture. No release date has been set at this time.
#25
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Many Saints Of Newark (W: David Chase, D: Alan Taylor) -- The Sopranos preque
There’s enough backstory on The Sopranos to make a prequel tv series. It’s almost like Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings with wiseguys.
It would be interesting to see a series set in the 1970s, and seeing guys like Johnny Boy, Junior, Feech La Manna, Richie Aprile, and Bacala Sr., in their primes. And younger versions of the main characters like Tony Soprano, Tony B., and Jackie April working their way into the family business.
It would be interesting to see a series set in the 1970s, and seeing guys like Johnny Boy, Junior, Feech La Manna, Richie Aprile, and Bacala Sr., in their primes. And younger versions of the main characters like Tony Soprano, Tony B., and Jackie April working their way into the family business.