First look at Sopranos film Many Saints of Newark with Michael Gandolfini

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The Sopranos is back – but not as we know it.

HBO has finally dropped the trailer for the prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, to the relief of patient fans after the pandemic scuppered last year's release date.

But boy is it worth the wait.

And if hearing the late James Gandolfini's voice at the start at the 2-minute clip doesn't give you chills, wait until you see the final scene fading to black (not again, please!) with a vision of the Virgin Mary and sound of the iconic Sopranos' theme song 'Woke Up this Morning'.

Sex, drugs, money, guns, the pork store and a calculating mother – within seconds the trailer gives The Sopranos fans some much-needed nostalgic nods to the iconic show that ended in 2007.

What do you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments

But, unlike the show – in which Gandolfini played therapy-going New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, the film will give movie buffs a whole new glimpse into Tony's childhood that the series doesn't appear to have even scratched the surface of.

We knew Tony had a troubled childhood, thanks to his difficult mum and criminal dad, but surprisingly it looks like Dickie Moltisanti – Christopher's dad to Sopranos' fans – played more of a role in leading him astray, even if the surname Moltisanti translates as 'many saints' in English.

"He only listens to Dickie," Tony's mum Livia says in the trailer.

We also see a charming Dickie trying to convince Tony to shift stolen speakers despite the young lad telling him he "wants to go to college".

Could Tony actually have been destined to live the life of Kevin Finnerty?

Fans of The Sopranos series will know that Christopher's father was killed by a police officer, who Chris went on to murder in revenge. Chris – played by Michael Imperioli in The Sopranos – was later killed by Tony.

We also hear Tony say at the start of the trailer: “When I was a kid, guys like me were brought up to follow codes."

The camera then focuses on Gandolfini's son, Michael, who has followed in his father's acting footsteps and been cast to play a young Tony Soprano in the film.

James Gandolfini tragically died aged 51 in 2013 while on holiday in Rome after Michael, then aged 13, found him collapsed on a bathroom floor. The similarities between the pair is also giving fans chills.

Meanwhile the film, which has the tagline 'legends aren’t born, they’re made,' is set in 1967

The film blurb reads: “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.”

  • Many Saints of Newark star hopes Sopranos prequel 'doesn't let fans down'

Alessandro Nivola plays Dickie Moltisanti, Jon Bernthal stars as Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano, Corey Stoll is Junior Soprano, Vera Farmiga is Tony’s mother Livia Soprano, Billy Magnussen will play Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri.

John Magaro has been cast as Silvio Dante; while there’s Leslie Odom Jr., Michaela De Rossi and Ray Liotta starring in other roles which have not yet been revealed.

After the trailer was released fans shared their excitement ahead of the film hitting screens in October.

One said: "Curious to see when Tony’s admiration for Dickie starts. The show focused on realizations about Tony’s dad and how it affected him but nothing about Dickie other than telling Chris he was like a father to him. In the trailer it seems Tony looks up to Dickie more than Johnny boy."

Another said: "Incredible. Loved every second."

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And a third added: "We're gonna find out exactly how Dickie died. Tony never told Chrissy the entire story."

Genius creator David Chase previously said: “The movie will deal with the tensions between the Blacks and whites at the time, and Tony Soprano will be part of this, but as a kid.”

He also revealed he was “against the movie for a very long time, and I’m still very worried about it”.

He added about his inspiration: “I was living in suburban New Jersey at the time that happened, and my girlfriend was working in downtown Newark. I was just interested in the whole Newark riot thing. I started thinking about those events and organised crime, and I just got interested in mixing those two elements…But the thing that interested me most was Tony’s boyhood. I was interested in exploring that.”

  • Many Saints of Newark
  • The Sopranos
  • Michael Gandolfini
  • James Gandolfini
  • Tony Sirico

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