The Many Saints of Newark (Sopranos prequel)

[RumHam]

Did not think this would ever actually happen:

http://deadline.com/2018/03/david-chase-the-sopranos-prequel-movie-the-many-saints-of-newark-new-line-1202319202/

Quote

 David Chase is finally ready to return to the New Jersey turf of his iconic creation The Sopranos. New Line has purchased the screenplay The Many Saints of Newark, the working title for a feature prequel of The Sopranos that is set in the era of the Newark riots in the 60s. That was a time when the African-Americans and the Italians of Newark were at each other’s throats, and amongst the gangsters of each group, those conflicts became especially lethal.

I wonder who they'll get to play young Silvo, Paulie, et al. Or if they'd consider the CGI de-aging stuff but that's probably too expensive for a whole movie. 

[DMC]

Huh, never thought Chase would do something like this.  The Newark riots were around 67, right?  That's what google says anyway.  Tony would be around 8 at that time, and one would assume Sil, Ralph, and Jackie about the same.  Still, it's cool and I'm pumped.  I'd imagine Paulie will be recast, as well as Johnny Boy, Junior, and others.  Maybe we get young Feech La Manna?  And a young Pussy Bonpensiero - perhaps even meet Little Pussy Malanga to get a sense of why Junior wants to kill him?  Maybe we can finally solve the legend of Dickie Moltisanti?  Oh!  And Tony B.  Why didn't he hang out with "Tony Uncle Johnny's" crew at such a time other than because they decided to cast Steve Buscemi in Season 5?

ETA:  So if Tony is around 8, that's right around when he follows his dad and Janice to the carnival when the former gets arrested.  Just thinking about the timeframe.

ETA 2: Forgot to mention the most important character:  Livia.  Can't help but suspect Chase still has unfinished business there, and this is his way of ending it.

[Calibandar]

Looks very interesting. Hopefully not too far away.

[RumHam]

They're casting, production to begin in spring of next year.\

Quote

 

Of course, a young Tony Soprano will serve as the central character of the film. Because the film will have a timeline playing out over many years, it will begin with a 9-year-old Tony, described as a passionate Yankees fan, later showing a 16-year-old version of the character, who's a long-haired "budding linebacker" on the school's football team

He never had the makings of a varsity athlete. Just saying.

[Nictarion]

Small hands

[Mark Antony]

Busy chasing skirt 

[WarGalley]

On 3/9/2018 at 12:17 AM, DMC said:

Maybe we can finally solve the legend of Dickie Moltisanti?

What do you mean? He's a reputed and loyal mob figure. Tony tells Christopher how his father dies and while Tony is completely untrustworthy, especially in his interactions with Christopher, I've always believed him given how that particular episode pans out later.

Quote

ETA 2: Forgot to mention the most important character:  Livia.  Can't help but suspect Chase still has unfinished business there, and this is his way of ending it.

Oof. Livia Soprano was one of the better characters and acting performances but goddamn did I grate my teeth when she came on screen halfway through Season 1. Think that's what made her so good... I sympathized Tony.

[RumHam]

1 hour ago, WarGalley said:

What do you mean? He's a reputed and loyal mob figure. Tony tells Christopher how his father dies and while Tony is completely untrustworthy, especially in his interactions with Christopher, I've always believed him given how that particular episode pans out later.

The other reading of that episode is that Tony knew Chris was wavering with the heroin and the Hollywood dreams and wanted something that would ensure his loyalty. 

The guy who killed Chris's dad in Tony's version of events had to be someone "big" enough to justify why they had let him live for another 20 years. So Tony heard about the retiring cop who probably was dirty but had nothing to do with Dickie's death and used it to his advantage to manipulate Christopher. 

I mean, I believe that Tony believes that Dickie was awesome. But look at How Tony views his parents at the start of the series. He clearly remember the past fondly and idolizes the generation before him. Christopher eventually says his dad wasn't much more than a junkie. I tend to think the mob killed Dickie. 

 

 

[Nictarion]

Idk I always thought Tony was telling the truth. The look on the cop’s face was kind of telling when Chris told him who he was. 

[RumHam]

26 minutes ago, Nictarion said:

Idk I always thought Tony was telling the truth. The look on the cop’s face was kind of telling when Chris told him who he was. 

 In my version that was his recognition of why he was being killed (Tony wanted him gone), not any kinda subconscious admission of guilt for that particular murder. But I'll take any excuse to watch it again. I love the end credits them of that one too.   

Edit: what clinches it for me is when he tells Melfi something like "I recently did something to bind him to me." Tony is never self aware like that in therapy unless he think's he's being machiavellian. 

[Nictarion]

7 minutes ago, RumHam said:

 In my version that was his recognition of why he was being killed (Tony wanted him gone), not any kinda subconscious admission of guilt for that particular murder. But I'll take any excuse to watch it again. I love the end credits them of that one too.   

Edit: what clinches it for me is when he tells Melfi something like "I recently did something to bind him to me." Tony is never self aware like that in therapy unless he think's he's being machiavellian. 

It’s certainly written so you can go either way with it. Ofc the writing was always top notch though. 

And I love that ending as well. The lingering shot of the $20 on the fridge was great. 

[red snow]

This is a prequel that might actually work especially if it isn't centred around young Anthony. Also it's a show where a sequel series couldn't work because why ruin the ambiguous ending and would a sequel work without Tony soprano or James gandolfini.

I think enough time has passed since sopranos ended and the fact it's in the 60s for them to do complete recasts. Although some of the sopranos crew had very distinctive faces which might require some reminders to who the young versions are.

The release of the film will provide a good excuse to continue my rewatch.

 

 

[Ran]

I pity the actor asked to play a young Paulie Walnuts.

[WarGalley]

16 hours ago, RumHam said:

Edit: what clinches it for me is when he tells Melfi something like "I recently did something to bind him to me." Tony is never self aware like that in therapy unless he think's he's being machiavellian. 

So that's definitely the strongest indication Tony may have been lying simply to manipulate Christopher's loyalty.. but I'm still inclined to believe it was simply a good moment to get Christopher's loyalty and revenge for Dickie. Wacking a cop, even one on payroll seems an extreme risk and this episode was the cop's retirement party. But yeah, like @Nictarion, it was the cops reaction to Christopher identifying himself, and also revealing his knowledge that Dickie's hit was done on behalf of Jimmy Ruffalo.

 

[DMC]

21 hours ago, WarGalley said:

What do you mean? He's a reputed and loyal mob figure. Tony tells Christopher how his father dies and while Tony is completely untrustworthy, especially in his interactions with Christopher, I've always believed him given how that particular episode pans out later.

Heh, nothing like a 7 month old post generating interesting discussion.  To clarify, me saying "legend of Dickie Moltisanti" was primarily a reference to the title of episode 1.8 - The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti - as a way of saying I want to see Dickie as a character.  As to whether the retiring cop actually killed him is a fun topic, and I think it's supposed to be left ambiguous.  Because, as Chris says, it ultimately doesn't matter - Tony wants him dead.  Plus that episode was about Tony binding Christopher to him, which he did whether the cop was guilty or not.

I tend to think the cop did kill Dickie - as had been stated he seemed to know much about the circumstances - but why he killed him is certainly up in the air.  And like @RumHam I expect the mob was behind it, perhaps even Tony himself.  In general, Tony's feelings of responsibility for and tolerance of Christopher is very out of character.  Usually when that's the case, it's because Tony feels guilty about something (e.g. Livia, Tony B).  If that's so, then I'd like to know why Tony feels guilty about Dickie.

[RumHam]

At one point Tony and Junior are talking about to do with Christopher because of his heroin addiction and Junior's opinion is something like "when a dog you love gets rabies you put it down." The boss at the time probably had a similar attitude towards addiction treatment.

Thankfully Tony came up with a better way of addressing Chris's problems.

[Nictarion]

1 minute ago, RumHam said:

At one point Tony and Junior are talking about to do with Christopher because of his heroin addiction and Junior's opinion is something like "when a dog you love gets rabies you put it down." The boss at the time probably had a similar attitude towards addiction treatment.

Thankfully Tony came up with a better way of addressing Chris's problems.

When I came in one morning to open up there were with your head half in the toilet. Your hair was in the toilet water. Disgusting. 

[DaveSumm]

1 hour ago, Nictarion said:

When I came in one morning to open up there were with your head half in the toilet. Your hair was in the toilet water. Disgusting. 

Saw that one quite recently, that’s hilarious that line ... the way you assume he’s gonna have a whole story and then he puts the paper down as he says ‘disgusting’. Like he needed to write all that down.

I was initially excited about this film, but I’m a little put off by the quote up page, that it centres around a young Tony? I was assuming it would revolve around the previous generation, and the tie-ins would be more like Easter eggs. What story is there to tell about young Tony? Gandolfini embodied Tony Soprano in a way few actors manage, recasting the role in any way other than “oh there’s young Tony as a kid, cute” worries me.

[Calibandar]

15 hours ago, RumHam said:

At one point Tony and Junior are talking about to do with Christopher because of his heroin addiction and Junior's opinion is something like "when a dog you love gets rabies you put it down." The boss at the time probably had a similar attitude towards addiction treatment.

Thankfully Tony came up with a better way of addressing Chris's problems.

Love that scene so much. I clicked on your link, knowing it was going to The Intervention and I was laughing out loud the moment it starts with Chris opening the door, and his typical "What the fuck!".

And then he starts skewering everybody. Also, Tony's expression when hears Chris killed a dog and he proceeds to go off the rails with that topic.

[Mark Antony]

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/alessandra-nivola-sopranos-movie-1203029243/