MICHAEL GANDOLFINI CAST IN NEW SOPRANOS FILM!

Wow, now this is interesting casting!

ET:  Michael Gandolfini, the son of the late James Gandolfini, will play a young Tony Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark, ET has learned. The Sopranos prequel movie, produced by New Line Cinema, will also star Alessandro Nivola, Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, Billy Magnussen and Corey Stoll. Deadline was first to report the news.

"It’s a profound honor to continue my dad’s legacy while stepping into the shoes of a young Tony Soprano," Michael said in a statement obtained by ET. "I’m thrilled that I am going to have the opportunity to work with [Sopranos creator] David Chase and the incredible company of talent he has assembled for The Many Saints of Newark.”

Gandolfini, who originated the iconic role of anti-hero Tony Soprano on the HBO series, died of a heart attack in 2013. He was just 51 years old. Michael, 19, won the role of a young Tony Soprano after an extensive audition process, ET has learned. He is best known for his breakout role on HBO's The Deuce. Read More

THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK: SOPRANOS PREQUEL FILM IN THE WORKS!

David Chase is finally ready to return to the New Jersey turf of his iconic creation The Sopranos. New Line has purchased the screenplay The Many Saints of Newark, the working title for a feature prequel of The Sopranos that is set in the era of the Newark riots in the 60s. That was a time when the African-Americans and the Italians of Newark were at each other’s throats, and amongst the gangsters of each group, those conflicts became especially lethal.

The script was written by Chase and Lawrence Konner, the prolific screen and television writer whose credits include The Sopranos.

Chase finally returning to expand The Sopranos lore will be welcome news to the legions who still feel that his HBO series is the greatest of all time. The groundbreaking show ran for six seasons from 1999 – 2007.

It put HBO on the map, established the market for DVD sales of popular series, and won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and Peabody Awards for its first two seasons. It launched the stars of a slew of actors and revived others, most notably the late James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steven Van Zandt, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Steve Schirripa and on and on.