Back in 1999, The Sopranos became a massive force in changing pop culture. For decades the small screen was viewed as a "lesser" medium, derided in comparison to film, but David Chase's original HBO series opened eyes in the industry to its remarkable cinematic possibilities, and TV has not been the same sense. It's one of the key shows that ushered in the on-going Golden Age of Television. Shockingly, it's been nearly a full decade-and-a-half since the finale first aired, stunning audiences with its blackout ending, but fans are soon getting the opportunity to reenter the crime world with the release of The Many Saints Of Newark, and now we are getting extra amped for the movie thanks to the release of the first ever trailer – which you can find embedded above.
Set to arrive in theaters and on HBO Max this fall, The Many Saints Of Newark is a period gangster epic that serves as a prequel to the events in The Sopranos – specifically charting how Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini, son of James Gandolfini) transforms from being a teenager with college aspirations to becoming a powerful mob figure in New Jersey. Instrumental in this dark evolution is Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), Tony's uncle and idol – and future father of Michael Imperioli's Chris Moltisanti – who winds up being massively influential in turning his nephew towards a life of crime, despite his best intentions.
Based on this trailer, there is a lot to anticipate from the upcoming film, which appears to have a lot of Goodfellas influence mixed into the Sopranos DNA – and it will be exciting to see how it goes about filling in certain gaps in the history of the show. That being said, one could make a strong argument that the most exciting part of this movie is going to be Vera Farmiga's turn as Livia Soprano, Tony's villainous mother (who was originally played by Nancy Marchand in the series). Not only is Farmiga doing a full-on physical transformation, but it appears that she is fully leaning into the most awful aspects of the character, and that's just going to be amazing to watch.
Directed by Alan Taylor, who helmed nine episodes of The Sopranos between 1999 and 2007, and co-written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner, The Many Saints Of Newark is set to be released on October 1 – with Michael Gandolfini, Alessandro Nivola and Vera Farmiga joined in the talented ensemble cast by Leslie Odom Jr., Corey Stoll, Jon Bernthal, Billy Magnussen, John Magaro, Michela De Rossi, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga. Like all of the other films on Warner Bros. 2021 slate, when it comes out it will be both in theaters and available to stream on HBO Max for a 31 day limited engagement.
To see what else is ahead on the film front between now and the end of December, be sure to check out our 2021 Movie Release Calendar.
