Taking the role of Tony Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark was the hardest decision James Gandolfini’s son has ever had to reach. From The Sopranos head Alan Taylor and founder David Chase, Many Saints of Newark is a prequel film coming to theaters and HBO Max on October 1. The hit HBO series performed James Gandolfini, who passed away in 2013, as the angst-ridden mob boss and father, Tony Soprano.

Now, for the prequel film, Gandolfini’s son Michael will be taking on the role of Tony as a teenager. A few other Sopranos personas will too return showed by younger performers, including Vera Farmiga as Tony’s finicky mother Livia, Jon Bernthal as Tony’s father aka Johnny Boy, Cory Stoll as Uncle June, Billy Magnusson as Paulie Walnuts, and John Magaro as Silvio Dante. The film will be set against the backdrop of the 1967 Newark rampages and examine the character Tony’s wiseguy uncle Dickie Moltisanti( Alessandro Nivola) played in his rise from rebellious girl to New Jersey crime boss.

Related: Sopranos’ Family Curse Explained (& What It Means For The Prequel Movie )

Though The Sopranos architect David Chase “havent had” hesitancy assigning James Gandolfini’s lad, the actor says he did have some trepidations about taking the role. In an interrogation with Empire, Michael Gandolfini says accepting the role formerly colonized by his father was the “toughest decision” he’s ever had to realize. Michael knew that taking on such an iconic reputation for his first major recital is very difficult to, so he tried not to put too much pressure on himself. He likewise realized he would be playing a much younger iteration of Tony before he becomes the cold-blooded gangster he is known as in The Sopranos. Read what Michael Gandolfini had to say about taking on the capacity below 😛 TAGEND

You know, I didn’t want to put pressure on myself to walk out of this feeling like I’d grown in terms of my feelings towards my dad. I just wanted to be the best actor I could be, illustrating Tony in the way David required, situation by stage. I didn’t think about my bereavement because … well, I would have sh-t the berthed. My dad’s character had all this beautiful sensitivity underneath this aggression. This copy of him is the reverse. His curiosity and sensibility comes first. He’s not a gun-wielding gangster. He’s a kid who gets whittled down and attracted in.

Michael Gandolfini has a few other ascribes to his identify, including his acting debut in Ocean’s 8 as a busboy be accompanied by a more prominent role in the HBO series The Deuce. He too performed in Apple TV+ ‘s Cherry this year, but his occupation is set to take off in a big way with his conduct as young Tony Soprano in Many Saints of Newark, which he will then follow up with characters in Ari Aster’s Disappointment Blvd. and another Russo Friend activity The Gray Man.

While these roles are nothing to sneeze at , none of them will compare to the unique event of evoking the same beloved persona his father did for nearly a decade, winning 3 Emmys along the way. Based on the first trailer for Many Saints of Newark, it looks like Michael slipped into the role somewhat neatly, but as he mentioned, this is a completely different iteration of the specific characteristics, so the dimensions of his recital won’t be divulged until The Many Saints of Newark liberates in the fall.

Next: Why The Sopranos’ Christopher Narrates The Many Saints Of Newark

Source: Empire

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