Michael Gandolfini is honoring his late father, James Gandolfini, by (literally) following in his footsteps.
According to Variety, the 19-year-old actor is set to portray young Tony Soprano in the prequel to The Sopranos, The Many Saints of Newark. James originally played the role in the popular HBO series, which premiered in 1999 and ran for six seasons.
In a statement, Michael revealed that he couldn’t be more thrilled to reprise the iconic character, saying, “It’s a profound honor to continue my dad’s legacy while stepping into the shoes of a young Tony Soprano. I’m thrilled that I am going to have the opportunity to work with David Chase and the incredible company of talent he has assembled for The Many Saints of Newark.”
The prequel will be directed by Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) and will take place during the Newark riots in the ’60s. The Many Saints of Newark also stars Corey Stoll (House of Cards), Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods), Jon Bernthal (Wolf of Wall Street), Alessandro Nivola (American Hustle) and Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel).
