Is young Tony Soprano returning to television?
Michael Gandolfini, the son of the late James Gandolfini, was recently asked about playing Tony Soprano in a Sopranos prequel series.
“Look, it’s David’s universe,” Gandolfini told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s up to David [Chase], ultimately. I know that David’s working on some other things, not Sopranos-related, which would be exciting.”
While Gandolfini would “love” to work with Sopranos creator David Chase again, he knows that Tony will probably never return to TV.
“I think Tony’s probably set to rest now for good, but who knows, who knows,” Gandolfini said. “But my guess would be, that character [has] now closed the book on that.”
Gandolfini previously played the role made famous by his father in The Many Saints of Newark. Directed by Alan Taylor, the Sopranos prequel movie followed mobster Dickie Moltisanti, the father of Christopher Moltisanti, in Newark in the 1960s and 1970s. Gandolfini played the teenage version of Tony Soprano, Dickie’s nephew. The Many Saints of Newark film also starred Alessandro Nivola as Dickie, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga.
James revolutionized television for his performance as Tony Soprano on HBO’s The Sopranos. Tony is often cited as one of the greatest TV characters ever. James’ performance led to numerous awards, including three Emmys, five SAGs, and one Golden Globe.
The younger Gandolfini will soon appear in Daredevil: Born Again, which premieres March 4 on Disney+. Gandolfini is rumored to be playing Daniel Blake, a protégé of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.
