He courted controversy by finishing the HBO series with a cut to black. Now David Chase is revisiting his The Sopranos, planning a prequel film to the show called The Many Saints Of Newark.
Chase has apparently had this idea bubbling in the back of his head since at least the end of the show in 2007, and now New Line is developing the film. The writer and producer, who has previously said he'd never revisit the world and its characters except in the form of a prequel, and he's now written the script with Lawrence Konner, who worked on the series.
The Sopranos launched in 1999, following the lives of various mobsters in New Jersey, and focusing on Tony Soprano (the late James Gandolfini). It won accolades and awards for its knotty stories, ending up with 21 Emmy Awards.
It's not yet known which, if any of the characters will show up, since the story for this one is set in the 1960s, when the rivalry between African Americans and Italians turned violent. Chase has directed for the big screen before, but right now he's just attached as co-writer and producer, involved in the search for a director. "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," enthuses Warner Bros. Pictures Group boss Toby Emmerich.
Keep up to date with all the latest movie news, click here to subscribe to Empire and have the latest issue delivered to your door every month.