The Many Saints of Newark won’t be like The Sopranos

We will soon be returning to the world of The Sopranos over a decade after the HBO series concluded with The Many Saints of Newark, but fans should be cautioned that the prequel movie won’t be the same as the series.

While chatting on Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Many Saints of Newark actor Jon Bernthal said that although fans of The Sopranos will love seeing the stories referenced in the series play out, you shouldn’t go into it expecting a big-screen version of the TV show.

I will say that’s different. I think people are going to go in expecting The Sopranos — it’s not that. I think that it was very smart that they set it in the past and it’s a genuine prequel. You will see that when [Chase] was writing this show, he clearly understood the full history of who these characters were. And for the real super-fans, I think it is going to be so much fun.

Jon Bernthal also had plenty of praise for Michael Gandolfini, who plays the teenage version of the character portrayed by his late father in The Sopranos. “What Michael Gandolfini does in this movie and to be a part of his journey,” Bernthal said. “I just feel really honored that I get to walk alongside him. I think he approached it with courage and real dedication.” Bernthal plays Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark, Tony’s father.

The official synopsis for The Many Saints of Newark:

Young Anthony Soprano is growing up in one of the most tumultuous eras in Newark’s history, becoming a man just as rival gangsters begin to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family’s hold over the increasingly race-torn city. Caught up in the changing times is the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti, who struggles to manage both his professional and personal responsibilities—and whose influence over his impressionable nephew will help make the teenager into the all-powerful mob boss we’ll later come to know: Tony Soprano. 

The Many Saints of Newark will debut in theaters and on HBO Max on October 1, 2021.