A Sopranos prequel movie is officially underway, running with the working title The Many Saints of Newark. So far, we know that the script is set during the 1960s Newark Riots, indicating that the story will follow Tony Soprano’s uncle as well as Tony’s mother and father. We delved into mob history and plucked out these five theories about what we might see in the Sopranos prequel.
The DeCavalcante Family
Mob Roots run deep in New Jersey. From Nicodemo Scarfo to Willie Moretz, the state was littered with infamous mob dealings and family-run crime. Then there’s the DeCavalcante family, which we think characters from the prequel will be based on. Why? Tony Soprano was inspired by Vincent Palmero, who was nearly the son-in-law of Sam DeCavalcante.
HBO
Sam The Plumber
Sam DeCavalcante, otherwise known as “Sam the Plumber,” was boss of the DeCavalcante crime family. He ran it until he turned state’s witness, at which point he traveled south and disappeared in Houston. We can see a character based off of Sam figuring into the prequel, considering that he’d map onto one of Tony’s fictional predecessors fairly well.
New York Post
Joey Gallo
Joey Gallo was a big name in Newark and figured into the racial animosity that dominated the Newark Riots. Gallo, an Italian, made friends with African American drug dealers, causing tension within his group. Expect a Gallo-based character to show up in the prequel, playing the part of a man who’s trying to unite the opposing sides.
Arty Pomerantz
The Newark Riots
The four day long Newark Riots of 1967 resulted in the deaths of 26 people. An act of police brutality against a black man led to an angry march through Newark the escalated into a violent battle. Newark property was attacked, Molotov cocktails were launched, and protesters looted. We know from The Sopranos that Tony’s dad was likely in action during the conflict, so expect to see Johnny Soprano caught trying to protect his family during the chaos.
The New York Times
The End Is The Beginning
Our best guess is that the prequel will leave off right where The Sopranos picks up. We bet that after the Newark Riots, we’ll see some of the 70s, 80s, and 90s gang action. During these decades, we’ll see the passing of the guard in the Soprano family and Tony’s steady rise to power.
HBO
