‘The Many Saints of Newark’ reveals how Tony Soprano became a badass
Nothing is stronger than family.
On Wednesday Warner Bros. released the newest trailer for “The Sopranos” prequel, “The Many Saints of Newark,” and it gave fans a new glimpse into the world of young Tony Soprano.
One focus of the teaser features the relationship between Tony, played by the late James Gandolfini’s son Michael, and Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), the father of Christopher Moltisanti, who was portrayed by Michael Imperioli in the original series.
Other scenes show Tony arguing with his mom, Livia Soprano (Vera Farmiga), members of the crime families shooting at each other and Aldo “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti (Ray Liotta) giving some sound advice to Dickie.
“I want to do a good deed,” Dickie Moltisanti says in the trailer. “I want to do more.”
“Money doesn’t get everything,” a voiceover adds.
“Pain comes from always wanting things. But what do I know,” Hollywood Dick explains.
The prequel to the critically acclaimed HBO series will debut in theaters and will stream exclusively on HBO Max on Oct. 1. The drama is set against the backdrop of 1960s Newark, New Jersey. The infamous 1967 riots in the city are used to amplify tensions between the Italian-American and African-American communities.
Michael, 22, is the son of late star James Gandolfini and will be stepping into the shoes of his father’s iconic role. He revealed earlier this month that playing the character was “probably the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make.”
“I didn’t want to put pressure on myself to walk out of this feeling like I’d grown in terms of my feelings toward my dad,” Michael told Empire. “I just wanted to be the best actor I could be, portraying Tony in the way [producer] David [Chase] wanted, scene by scene.”
He also admitted last year that he never even watched his dad’s show until he was cast in the film. “The funny thing is, before the audition, I had never watched a minute of ‘The Sopranos,’” he told Esquire. “I was just a kid when he was making it. I would go to the set and ask him what it was about, and he’d say, ‘Oh, it’s about this guy who’s in the mob and kind of goes to therapy.’”
The all-star cast is also comprised of the talents of Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Michela De Rossi and John Magaro.