A film prequel to "The Sopranos" is in the works, according to a new report out Thursday. (HBO)
“The Sopranos” are coming back - and this time the mob will be taking over the silver screen.
Fans who didn’t “stop believing” after the classic television show went off the air in 2007 were treated to welcome news Thursday when it was announced that the creator of the legendary HBO drama, David Chase, would be reviving his iconic mob family for a film prequel.
Film production company New Line has purchased the rights to Chase’s “The Many Saints of Newark,” the current title for the movie project, Deadline reported.
The film will take place in the 1960s and involve the Newark, New Jersey riots, events which involved looting, property damage and multiple deaths.
The script for the film was written by Chase and Lawrence Konner, the latter of whom also worked on the HBO television series.
“David is a masterful storyteller and we, along with our colleagues at HBO, are thrilled that he has decided to revisit, and enlarge, the Soprano universe in a feature film,” said Toby Emmerich, the Warner Bros. Picture Group chairman.
Warner Bros is the parent company for New Line.
A script for a film prequel to "The Sopranos" has been purchased by New Line, according to a Thursday report. (HBO)
It wasn’t immediately clear which characters or actors from the show could potentially appear in the film, although the series often employed flashback scenes involving Tony Soprano’s father, “Johnny Boy,” his mother, Livia, and his father’s brother, “Uncle Junior.”
In addition to writing the screenplay with Konner, Chase will produce the film and pick a director, Deadline reported.
The acclaimed TV show aired on HBO from 1999 to 2007 and won a slew of awards, ushering in an era of dark, antihero dramas like “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” Lead actor James Gandolfini died in 2013, but his character would be a child in the time period when the movie is said to take place.
There was no immediate word on the film’s release date.
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