Alessandro Nivola to Play Lead on “Sopranos” Prequel Movie

The Sopranos prequel movie is to cast actor Alessandro Nivola to play the lead character Dickey Moltisanti for New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.
The movie is being directed by Alan Taylor, who directed several episodes of the hit HBO series. The screenplay was written by The Sopranos creator David Chase along with Lawrence Konner.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dickey Moltisanti is “a charismatic but violent made man who falls in love with his father’s much younger bride, a recent immigrant from Italy.
The film will be set during the Newark riots and chronicle the lethal gang interactions between rival African-American and Italian-American crews of the era. Nivola is in negotiations to play a key figure in the gang’s initial genesis, namely Richard “Dickey” Moltisanti, the previously unseen father of central character Christopher Moltisanti.
New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. are collaborating on the project with original series creator David Chase writing the script. The film will get a theatrical release. The Sopranos is one of the most critically acclaimed television series in TV history and is often credited with creating the mold for TV anti-heroes.
Long-time Sopranos alum Alan Taylor will be directing the 60s-set The Many Saints of Newark, which was written by original creator David Chase along with Lawrence Konner. Chase will also be serving as producer.
Nivola, meanwhile, was recently nominated by the British Independent Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor in Sebastian Lelio’s Disobedience and will star opposite Jesse Eisenberg in the martial arts satire The Art of Self Defense, which is due out this coming spring.
> Shatabdi Sarker Poushi