'Sopranos' Prequel Movie Release Date Set For Fall 2020, Gets A New (Old) Title

The Sopranos prequel movie now has an official release date – and a new title. Once thought to be retitled as simply Newark, the movie has the official previous title of The Many Saints of Newark. And you can expect to see it in theaters in the fall of 2020. Sopranos creator David Chase wrote the film, with Sopranos series director Alan Taylor at the helm. The Many Saints of Newark is set in the 1960s, and will feature younger versions of several Sopranos characters. More on the Sopranos prequel movie release date (and new title) below.

The Many Saints of Newark has character, so we're glad the title hasn't been changed. Newark as a place is boring enough – so making that the title of the movie seemed unwise. Thankfully, we don't have to live with it anymore. In addition to the official title confirmed, the film now has an official release date: September 25, 2020.

The movie stars Alessandro Nivola, Vera Farmiga, Ray Liotta, Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, and Michael Gandolfini. When it comes to who these actors are playing, though, well...that's mostly a mystery. All we know for certain is that Nivola is playing Dickie Moltisanti, father of Sopranos character Christopher Moltistanti, and Gandolfini, who is the son of the late James Gandolfini, is playing the younger version of Tony Soprano. I have a theory that Farmiga and Bernthal are playing Tony Soprano's volatile parents – but I have absolutely zero basis for that. Just call it a hunch.

As previously reported, the movie is "set in the era of the Newark riots in the 1960s, when African Americans and Italian Americans in the city were at each other's throats. That clash became lethal when it spread to gangsters of each group. Several Sopranos characters are expected to be part of the mix, with Gandolfini to play the younger version of his dad's character Tony Soprano."

"The thing that interested me most was Tony's boyhood," Sopranos creator and The Many Saints of Newark co-writer Chase said. "I was interested in exploring that...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."

The Sopranos is one of the best, and most influential television shows in history. It kicked off the so-called Peak TV era, and is directly responsible for spawning shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and many more. I remain a devoted fan to the series, and I hope for the best here. I'm not entirely sure we need a Sopranos prequel movie, but I'm certainly willing to watch it.