The son of the man who made Tony Soprano one of TV’s most unforgettable characters will apparently follow in his footsteps in the role. Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini, will play the legendary character in a prequel movie entitled The Many Saints of Newark.
Variety reported on Tuesday that Michael, the 19-year-old actor, will play a young Tony Soprano in the upcoming movie set before the HBO show’s timeline.
James Gandolfini played the patriarch of the Sopranos crime family throughout the show’s run from 1999 to 2007. The actor died in 2013, but momentum for another show or movie in the series’ universe grew over the years. But with a prequel movie in the works and the cast starting to get rounded out, those involved apparently have found their Tony Soprano in the Gandolfini family.
“It’s a profound honor to continue my dad’s legacy while stepping into the shoes of a young Tony Soprano,” Gandolfini told Variety. “I’m thrilled that I am 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.’”
Michael Gandolfini has worked with HBO before, as he currently has a role on The Deuce. Alan Taylor is set to direct the movie, which will apparently take place during the 1967 Newark riots that resulted because of racial tensions between Italian-Americans and African Americans.
