A current trend in the land of TV is to remake/reboot a movie or franchise as a show (The Exorcist, Lethal Weapon, Snowpiercer), but The Sopranos has always done things a little differently. Instead, series creator David Chase is going the complete opposite way with his legendary show, and has decided to make a feature film prequel instead.
Being developed at New Line Cinema, the film will be titled The Many Saints Of Newark, with the story taking place in the era of the Newark riots during the 1960s. Chase has penned the script with fellow Sopranos alum Lawrence Konner, and the idea is that characters from the show will appear in the film, though it’s not yet known in what capacity.
Chase made his directorial debut with 2010’s Not Fade Away, but it doesn’t sound like he intends to direct this prequel, but will be heavily involved in the selection of a director while serving as a producer on the film.
Naturally, this is a major coup for New Line, and Warner Bros. Picture Group Chairman Toby Emmerich said in a statement he’s thrilled that Chase “decided to revisit, and enlarge, the Soprano universe in a feature film”.
While it’s still a project based off an existing property with a built-in audience, it will still be exciting to see a serious mid-budget drama being made for the big screen, the kind of film that doesn’t really get made anymore.
The Sopranos, despite existing in an era before ‘Peak TV’, has remained one of the most beloved America shows since its iconic finale. Chase has likely been asked a mammoth amount of questions over the years regarding the show and whether he’d ever return to it, and now he’ll finally get a chance to add a new chapter to the story.
#Peace.Love.Sopranos
