Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on October 15, 2018
Earlier this year it was announced that New Line Cinema had acquired the rights to creator David Chase’s Sopranos prequel film to be titled The Many Saints of Newark. This summer Alan Taylor, who directed several episodes of the show during its six season run, had signed on the helm the film said to be set during the riots that took place in the late-60s, seen in a flashback during the seventh episode of Season 1, titled Down Neck.
Little else is known about the film, though it had been reported that several characters from the original series would be present during it. We at That Hashtag Show are thrilled to report that we’ve gotten our hands on some character breakdowns that reveal 5 of the film’s lead characters and give some insight into what we can expect. We can also reveal that filming on the Sopranos prequel is set to begin in early March of 2019, so casting announcements will be forthcoming over the next couple of months!
YOUNG TONY
Of course it wouldn’t be a Sopranos project if Tony weren’t involved. The Many Saints of Newark will seemingly take place over the course of several years and the studio will be looking to cast multiple actors in the role of Tony. When the film begins, Tony is a first generation 9-year old boy with a passion for the Yankees. The film will follow Tony to age 16 where he is described as a “budding linebacker” with long hair and bellbottoms. According to Sopranos’ canon, Tony was born on August 24, 1959, so we can look forward to seeing the film take place between 1968 and 1975.
This setting would find Tony’s father, Johnny Boy, and his Uncle Junior in their primes working under Dominic DiMeo, the original Boss of the DiMeo Familiy that Tony eventually led. It would also take place near the death of a character that was the inciting factor for a key relationship of the original series…
DICKIE MOLTISANTI
A foot solider for the DiMeo family, Dickie was a minor character in the series, but it was his death and subsequent absence that lead Tony to take in and mentor Dickie’s young son, Christopher. Dickie will be a young man here and while he’s not among the characters we have found out about, it’s almost a certainty that a young Christopher will be present here.
Canonically, Dickie is the first cousin to Tony’s wife, Carmela, and his wife, Joanne, is a Blundetto, making their son Christopher a cousin to the Blundettos, just as Tony is. After Dickie’s death, Tony took care of Christopher, calling him his nephew, though Christopher’s longtime girlfriend Adriana indicated that Christopher and Tony did have a blood relation. In this film, Dickie is described as Tony’s uncle, and a new character may reveal the blood connection described above.
ALDO MOLTISANTI
By all accounts Aldo Moltisanti is an entirely new character and, presumably, the link to the blood relation of Christopher and Tony. Described as an “elegant wiseguy” in his mid-60s, Aldo is revealed as Tony’s grandfather! The implications here could be huge. We know (or at least we think we do) that Tony’s father, Johnny Boy Soprano, was one of 3 sons born to Corrado and Mariangela Soprano. However, little information is known about the familial connections of Tony’s mother, Livia. In the film, Aldo is newly married to 24 year old Giuseppina Bruno, leaving us guessing as to whom he was previously married and what it might reveal, if anything, about Tony’s lineage.
Fans have been rabid for information since the announcement of The Many Saints of Newark and this is sure to stir up a storm! What are your thoughts on the possible implications of Tony’s relationship with the Moltisantis? Let us know in the comments.
