'The Sopranos' Creator David Chase Signs HBO Deal, Signaling Spinoffs for 'The Many Saints of Newark'
The Sopranos creator David Chase has signed a new HBO deal, possibly signaling spinoffs for the show's new sequel movie, The Many Saints of Newark. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chase agreed to a five-year, first-look deal contract with HBO, HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures Group, which will see the producer developing content for the network, streaming service, and studio. At this time, there is no official word on what type of content Chase will be developing, but with the critical success of Many Saints, it is possible that HBO and Warner Bros. may want to keep the Sopranos franchise alive.
The Many Saints of Newark is co-written and produced by Chase, and is directed by Alan Taylor. The film had to shift release dates a few times due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It was initially set to open in theaters in 2020 but was moved to March 2021. It was later moved again, to this month, opening in theaters and debuting on HBO Max on Oct. 1. The film's story leaps back decades in the Sopranos mythology and takes place during the Newark riots of 1967. The Many Saints of Newark focuses on Dickie Moltisanti (played by actor Alessandro Nivola), who is Christopher Moltisanti's father. Christopher was Tony Soprano's nephew and protégé, famously played by Michael Imperioli on the series. Additional actors in the new film include Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga.
Sadly, Sopranos star James Gandolfini passed away in 2013, but his legacy lives on in the film through his son Michael, who portrays the younger version of his father's character, Tony Soprano. Recently, Michael sat down with PopCulture.com to talk about The Many Saints of Newark, and he shared a little about what it was like to step into his father's shoes. "I'd say the biggest challenge was, I was a little older than I was playing and after diving into the series, I really understood that Tony and the show and how we thought," he said.
Michael continued, "There were times in the movie where I'd want to attack or maybe be sarcastic or push something off in a very Tony way and Alan really helped me be like, 'He's not there yet. He's not that confident. He's not that angry. He's not that cynical yet.' And sort of tone it back so that he could come into that and get hardened to over the arc of the movie."
The Many Saints of Newark is in theaters now and will be available to stream for 30 days on HBO Max. For more on the movie and all your Sopranos news, keep it locked to PopCulture.com for the latest.