2 more actors sign on to ‘The Many Saints of Newark,’ the ‘Sopranos’ prequel film
Did HBO’s recent 20th anniversary “Sopranos” celebration reignite your passion for all things Tony, Carmela, Paulie, Silvio, Christopher, Adriana, Meadow and A.J.?
You’re in luck, because every day seems to bring more casting news about the “Sopranos” prequel film, “The Many Saints of Newark.” The film, set in the 1960s, will cover Tony Soprano’s childhood.
Variety reports that actors Corey Stoll and Billy Magnussen are the latest additions to the cast. The lineup already includes Alessandro Nivola, who is confirmed to play Dickey/Dickie Moltisanti, Christopher’s father, who is a mentor to young Tony. While we don’t know plot details, Nivola seems to have a key role in the film, since “Moltisanti” translates to the title’s “many saints.”
“Sopranos” creator David Chase co-wrote the script with frequent collaborators Lawrence Konner and Alan Taylor, who has directed episodes of “The Sopranos” and “Game of Thrones,” is set to direct the movie, with New Line producing.
The nature of the roles that Stoll, Magnussen or any of the others cast for the film (apart from Nivola) will play is unknown.
Stoll, 42, recently played a famous New Jersey figure — Buzz Aldrin — in the movie “First Man,” directed by Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”), who grew up in Princeton. He is also known for his roles in the Netflix series “House of Cards,” and Amazon’s “The Romanoffs,” created by Matthew Weiner, the “Sopranos” writer and producer who became the showrunner of “Mad Men.” Stoll can also be seen in the upcoming Netflix series “Ratched,” based on “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
Magnussen, 33, who played Jed Milgrim in the Netflix miniseries “Maniac,” will play Prince Anders in the upcoming “Aladdin” movie and will also appear in the film “Velvet Buzzsaw” alongside John Malkovich and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Monday brought news from Deadline that New Jersey native Vera Farmiga and actor Jon Bernthal were in final talks to join the project (Variety had linked them to the film earlier this month).
Farmiga, 45, who grew up in a Ukrainian enclave in Irvington and graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School, is known for her roles in “The Departed,” “Up in the Air” and “The Conjuring” films as well as playing Norma Bates in the A&E series “Bates Motel.” She’ll also appear in the upcoming film “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries “Central Park Five.”
Bernthal, 42, who stars in Marvel series “The Punisher” on Netflix, also appeared in “The Wolf of Wall Street” and played Shane Walsh on “The Walking Dead.”
