New faces, new era: The Sopranos is back with a twist

Words: Troy Bramston Producer: Louise Starkey

Closing on scene raising questions about whether New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano was whacked for good, The Sopranos is back — but with a twist. Credit: Tony Soprano | YouTube

The drama TV series, which finished airing in 2007, has hit cinema screens as a film and stars the character — originally played by James Gandolfini for six seasons — in his teenage years. Credit: Tony Soprano | YouTube

The actor’s son, Michael Gandolfini, is stepping into the role — following in his father’s footsteps to fictional mobster stardom. The 22-year-old was born the same year The Sopranos began in 1999 and had little exposure to the series before his father’s death in 2013. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures | YouTube

“The Tony we meet is kind of nerdy, sensitive and sweet but the anger and resentments of the world crawl up,” Gandolfini told Review. “In many ways the opposite of the Tony we get to know, but we still see all of the elements in him. He is just a kid and he doesn’t really know what the mob is. But he gets to learn what it is.”

Creator, producer and writer of The Sopranos, David Chase, developed the show after having written and produced The Rockford Files and Northern Exposure. The HBO series was influenced by Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola’s films.

The prequel takes place during the Newark riots in the summer of 1967, set against the backdrop of the political, social and economic upheaval across the US. The conflict between Italian-American and African American communities in New Jersey is at a tipping-point. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures | YouTube

It was filmed in New Jersey and New York, and maintains the unpredictability and edginess that made the series absorbing. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures | YouTube

The film is acted and directed by Alan Taylor, with high production values which will transport the audience to the 1960s. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures | YouTube