The Sopranos film prequel The Many Saints of Newark set for big screen

FOR many, The Sopranos ended rather abruptly and left fans wanting more. Now, it has been announced creator David Chase is writing a movie about some of the characters.

The cast of The Sopranos. Picture: Supplied

THE Sopranos is getting the big-screen treatment.

New Line is developing a movie prequel, currently titled The Many Saints of Newark, penned by David Chase.

(l-r) Vincent Pastore with Steve Van Zandt, James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli and Tony Sirico in The Sopranos. Picture: Supplied

Chase, who created the hit series, wrote the screenplay with Lawrence Konner.

Some of the fan-favourite characters from The Sopranos are expected to appear in the film set in the era of the 1960s Newark riots, when African-Americans and Italians were adversaries.

Considered one of the greatest television series of all time, the groundbreaking series ran for six seasons from 1999 until 2007.

David Chase, creator and producer of the hit series The Sopranos. Picture: AP

The timeline for the series means many of The Sopranos cast won’t be in the show but Deadline reports Tony Soprano’s father, Giovanni “Johnny Boy,” the former captain of the Soprano crew (played in flashbacks by Joseph Siravo), and a younger version of his wife Livia (Nancy Marchand), and Tony’s uncle Junior, played by Dominic Chianese, could be involved.

James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) with his on-screen mum Nancy Marchand (Livia Soprano). Picture: Supplied

Dominic Chianese, played Junior Soprano, Tony’s uncle. Picture: Supplied

Its numerous accolades include 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. Chase will serve as producer as well as co-writer on the film.

Chase’s last feature film was the 2012 drama Not Fade Away, starring James Gandolfini, who played mobster Tony Soprano in the series but died in 2013.

The cast of "The Sopranos" with their awards at the SAG Awards in 2000. Picture: Supplied

“David is a masterful storyteller and we, along with our colleagues at HBO, are thrilled that he has decided to revisit, and enlarge, the Soprano universe in a feature film,” Warner Bros Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich said.

James Gandolfini and some of the cast of The Sopranos. Picture: Supplied

Originally published as The Sopranos film prequel The Many Saints of Newark set for big screen