The Many Saints of Newark has finally given us its first trailer. One can imagine the eagerness on our part for the October 1 landing flick once it is put in perspective. This is David Chase’s prequel movie centered on the world that created Tony Soprano (from Chase’s HBO smash hit The Sopranos).
The film is set in 60s New Jersey and follows a young Anthony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini, James Gandolfini’s son) as he navigates school and of course, the family. You know… THE family.
Besides witnessing the rise of Tony Soprano to mob boss, setting a film in Newark, New Jersey in the 60s also gives the viewer a history lesson on one of the most turbulent times in that city’s history with civil rights protests, race riots, and police clashes that would reverberate throughout America.
Sure, the cultural and historical element is fascinating, but let’s be real—almost everyone lining up to see The Many Saints of Newark is there for the next chapter in The Sopranos saga. The fact that it is a prequel to the series (the show’s iconic theme song even makes an appearance in the below trailer) that many list as their all-time favorite sends the anticipation meter into the red.
From its opening moments, which features a voice-over by Tony Soprano himself, to its closing with Ray Liotta (who auditioned for the part of Tony back in the day, actually) and his message for Uncle Dickie (Alessandro Nivola) to stay away from the young Soprano, this teaser will get multiple plays from all you Sopranos fans out there.
The younger Gandolfini is making his big-screen debut and besides looking an awful lot like his late father, he has his cadence and even how his pop walked as the mob boss down to a science.
He is joined in the cast by Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal as Tony’s father Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano, Corey Stoll as Junior Soprano (great casting), Billy Magnussen as Paulie Gualtieri, John Magaro as Silvio Dante, Michela De Rossi, and in another case of perfect casting—Vera Farmiga as Tony’s mother Livia Soprano.
The Many Saints of Newark will bow in both theaters on HBO Max at the beginning of October. Also revealed is the official synopsis for the flick:
Young Anthony Soprano is growing up in one of the most tumultuous eras in Newark’s history, becoming a man just as rival gangsters begin to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family’s hold over the increasingly race-torn city. Caught up in the changing times is the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti, who struggles to manage both his professional and personal responsibilities—and whose influence over his impressionable nephew will help make the teenager into the all-powerful mob boss we’ll later come to know: Tony Soprano.