'Sopranos' Prequel Cast Adds 'Hamilton' Star Leslie Odom Jr.

What's that? You thought casting on the Sopranos prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark was over and done with? Think again! Leslie Odom Jr., who won a Tony award for playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton, is the latest name to climb aboard the movie. As has been the case for most of the casting surrounding this film, Odom Jr.'s role is being kept a secret. More on the Sopranos prequel movie cast below.

Deadline broke the news about Leslie Odom Jr. joining The Many Saints of Newark cast. The actor joins Alessandro Nivola, Vera Farmiga, Ray Liotta, Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, John Magaro and Michael Gandolfini in the film, which is set against the backdrop of the 1960s Newark riots, when African-Americans and Italian-Americans were clashing.

While it's yet to be confirmed who Odom Jr. is playing, Deadline says that they've "heard that Odom figures directly into that conflict which involves Dickie Moltisanti (Nivola), who is the father of Tony Soprano's lieutenant Christopher (played in the series by Michael Imperioli)." Besides Nivola, the only other actor in the cast who has had their part confirmed is Michael Gandolfini. Gandolfini is the son of late actor James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano on the original series. Michael will be playing the younger version of his father's character.

David Chase, who created the influential television series, is penning the Many Saints script, along with Lawrence Konner. Alan Taylor, who helmed several Sopranos episodes (as well as Thor: The Dark World), is directing. When the project was first announced, Chase admitted he was hesitant to return to the world of The Sopranos, but eventually relented:

"I'm still very worried about it, but I became interested in Newark, where my parents came from, and where the riots took place...I started thinking about those events and organized crime, and I just got interested in mixing those two elements."

The Sopranos ran on HBO from 1999 to 2007, helping give birth to the era we now commonly refer to as "peak TV." It was one of the first shows that dared to have such a murderous protagonist, and without it, we would've never had shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. It remains as good today as it ever was, and while I have some skepticism that the magic of the original series can be recaptured, I'm willing to see what Chase and company have up their sleeves for The Many Saints of Newark. Adding Odom Jr. into the mix certainly doesn't hurt, as he's immensely talented.The Many Saints of Newark opens September 25, 2020.