One of the mafia world's biggest names is about to make the jump from the small screen to the big screen. A prequel movie to HBO's The Sopranos is in development, and while we still don't know much about the overarching plot of the film (or who will even take over as Tony from the late James Gandolfini), we now have more information to work with about the creative direction behind the project. Specifically, The Many Saints of Newark (as the prequel movie will be called) has just taken a massive step forward by signing Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor to get behind the camera and helm the film.
According to The Wrap, Alan Taylor has officially signed on to direct The Many Saints of Newark. Though exact plot details remain unconfirmed at this time, we do know that the film will take place in the 1960s and focus on a series of riots that occurred in Newark, New Jersey as the city's African-American population clashed with the Italian-American populace. Moreover, as a prequel to The Sopranos, numerous characters from the original continuity are expected to show up and play a role in the narrative.
Though Taylor has arguably gained his most recent high-profile notoriety for his work on HBO's Game of Thrones, he is actually a veteran of The Sopranos world as well, winning an Emmy for an episode in Season Six and directing, a total of nine episodes over the course of the series' run.
Alan Taylor is the latest in a series of key figures to sign on for The Many Saints of Newark. In addition to the Emmy-winning director (whose small-screen credits include the aforementioned Game of Thrones, as well as Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, an Electric Dreams), The Sopranos prequel will feature a script written by David Chase, with Lawrence Konner co-writing and producing, and Nicole Lambert executive producing.
On the film side of things, Alan Taylor has helmed a number of high-profile projects over the years, although it's worth noting that the bulk of his prestige is in the small screen world. In the realm of film, he has worked on Thor: The Dark World, as well as Terminator Genisys. His experience runs the gamut in terms of genre and style, but considering his wealth of work in television, he arguably seems uniquely suited to take on a project inspired by The Sopranos.
Make sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more information about The Many Saints of Newark as new details related to the prequel become available to us. Though the film is likely still a long way off, you can head over to our 2018 movie premiere guide to get yourself up-to-date on this year's major movie releases and mark down your moviegoing calendars accordingly!
