James Gandolfini’s Son to Play Young Tony Soprano in ‘The Many Saints of Newark’

When last we heard, The Sopranos creator David Chase was working on a feature film prequel to the hit HBO series that would involve some of the many characters we came to know and love over the years, including Tony Soprano himself. The Many Saints of Newark would be set roughly 30 years prior to the events of The Sopranos, meaning that Tony would've been in his late teens or early 20s at that time.

This makes the casting of James Gandolfini's own son Michael, who is a dead ringer for his late old man, kind of a slam dunk. According to Deadline, they underwent an exhaustive casting search before realizing that the right man for the job was right under their noses the whole time. For his part, Gandolfini is ...

“It’s a profound honor to continue my dad’s legacy while stepping into the shoes of a young Tony Soprano,” Gandolfini said in a statement to Deadline. “I’m thrilled that I’m 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.”

That talent includes Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, Billy Magnussen, Corey Stoll, and Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti, father to Michael Imperioli's Christopher from the old series. As much as I want to say we don't need a young Tony Soprano movie, I'd caution against underestimating Chase, as he's one of these guys that always has an ace up his sleeve. He's also more than likely connected, so I'd also warn you against speaking ill of him in public. Just saying, I heard your mother's not feeling well. It'd be terrible if something happened to her.