Leave it to the Sopranos prequel to keep it all in the family: Michael Gandolfini, the son of late Sopranos star James Gandolfini, will play a young version of Tony Soprano in the upcoming film, according to our sister site Deadline.
The prequel, titled The Many Saints of Newark, is set during the Newark riots of the 1960s, and centers on Tony’s uncle Dickie Moltisanti, to be played by Doll & Em‘s Alessandro Nivola. Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead), Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel), Corey Stoll (House of Cards) and Billy Magnussen (Maniac) have also signed on to join the cast, but their roles haven’t been revealed yet. Plot details are scarce as well, but the movie is expected to feature younger versions of a number of familiar Sopranos characters.
Michael Gandolfini is an actor in his own right, appearing in five episodes of HBO’s The Deuce last year. He steps into the role inhabited by his father James Gandolfini, who won three Emmys as mob boss Tony Soprano during The Sopranos‘ original HBO run from 1999 to 2007. (The elder Gandolfini passed away suddenly in 2013.)
Sopranos creator David Chase penned the script for The Many Saints of Newark, with Emmy-winning director Alan Taylor — who directed nine episodes of The Sopranos — tapped to helm the film.