For any television aficionado, The Sopranos is like the Holy Bible of classic TV series. Kicking off an incredibly successful six season run in 1999, the series followed James Gandolfini as he played Tony Soprano and oversaw a fictional Italian crime syndicate operating out of Northern New Jersey. Even today The Sopranos is revered as highly as ever before, with the prequel film The Many Saints of Newark releasing earlier this month to positive reviews. It looks like series creator David Chase may have more in his bag of tricks however as rumors are beginning to swirl about a potential new HBO Max series that aims to explore life in Jersey prior to Tony Soprano taking the reins.
The Many Saints of Newark was an incredibly big deal for fans when it was released a few short weeks ago, with Gandolfini’s son Michael Gandolfini playing a teenage Tony Soprano in his memory. It was the first taste of The Sopranos they have gotten in nearly fifteen years, however it seems the film might have inspired a chain reaction of sorts. Rumors are beginning to circulate that The Sopranos creator David Chase is in talks with Time Warner to produce a new series, this one additionally set to serve as a prequel to its predecessor. This comes on the heels of a five-year agreement he signed with the company to produce content just days after the premiere of Many Saints of Newark, potentially signalling the beginning of a very positive relationship that should benefit fans immensely. It is unclear if Michael Gandolfini will reprise his role for the new series as further details about the project remain up in the air.
Few television series if any have achieved the acclaim that The Sopranos has. Even almost a decade and a half since the series finale it remains one of the most popular series to ever hit TV, helping HBO establish themselves as one of the preeminent networks on television. Now they’ll be attempting to build upon their status in their new agreement with Chase, bringing a new generation of fans into The Sopranos universe. Eager fans will just have to remain patient as more details emerge about the potential series in the coming months.
