Jon Bernthal & Vera Farmiga join the cast of New Line’s Sopranos prequel

A new report by Variety states that, after making them an offer they couldn't refuse, Jon Bernthal (THE PUNISHER, BABY DRIVER) and Vera Farmiga (THE DEPARTED, BATES MOTEL) are joining the cast of New Line's THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK, a prequel film to HBO's critically-acclaimed THE SOPRANOS series. While details surrounding the project are still scarce at this time, it's been said that the prequel will take place in Newark, New Jersey, during the locale's 1960s riots. While we've not been given the nature of either Bernthal or Farmiga's characters, we do know that they'll be interacting with several key players from the network's original crime drama series.

THE SOPRANOS creator David Chase co-wrote the script for THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK with producer Lawrence Konner, which Alan Taylor is set to direct. Serving as executive producers for the highly-anticipated project are Nicole Lambert and Marcus Viscidi. Upon signing onto the prequel, both Bernthal and Farmiga stand to join Alessandro Nivola to play Dickie Moltisanti, who'd been previously (and exclusively) selected by Chase to act in the project.

THE SOPRANOS ran on HBO for a total of six seasons from January of 1999 to June of 2007, during which a family of mobsters lead by Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) tried to maintain a balance between their personal lives and that of their criminal organization. The show was a critical darling for HBO, and a series that, at one time, was hailed by many to be the "greatest" television series of all time. The show ended its six-season run in 2007 with a truly ambiguous ending, which found select members of the Soprano family chatting amongst themselves at a diner. In the final moments of the episode, Tony looks up from the table, expecting to see his daughter Meadow entering the eatery after taking a while to park her car outside. Then, just as Meadow reaches the diner's door and pushed it open, the show fades to black, leaving fans at a loss as to what happened next.

How excited are you for THE SOPRANOS to make their return in this prequel film? Will the project feel strange without a contribution from the late James Gandolfini? Will seeing the events that happened prior to the original series be as compelling and well-received as the core production? It won't be long until we find out. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.