Despite being attached to one of the most critically acclaimed television series of all time, The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark has flown somewhat under the radar ever since the project was first announced. Well, actor and star John Magaro has now provided further insight into the movie's plot, which will hopefully help put The Many Saints of Newark on more people's must-watch lists.

"It's partly about Tony Soprano's roots - Michael Gandolfini plays one of the versions of young Tony, and he's amazing in it. The real focus though is on Dickie Moltsanti (played by Alessandro Nivola), who is the father of Christopher Moltisanti [one of the series' main protagonists]."

John Magaro, who plays a younger version of Tony Soprano's right-hand man Silvio Dante in the movie, has also discussed stepping into the shiny shoes of an already well-established character. Portrayed beautifully by Steven Van Zandt throughout The Sopranos original run, Magaro is confident that he, and everyone else who played familiar characters, have respected their respective legacies.

"I will say that for those of us who had to play characters who were already established, that was a huge weight on our shoulders. We know how much those characters mean to people. I think everyone who plays those characters really does a service, and I hope the fans don't feel let down by that."

"I was a huge and still am a huge Sopranos fan; I had the poster on my wall in high school, and I watched it every Sunday night," Magaro continued. "Back then I was like, 'Wow, it's a cool mob show', but now I see that it's obviously so much more." He went on to describe The Many Saints of Newark as being "hard" for David Chase to return to but praised the writer for crafting something that is full of "dark humour, silliness and social political commentary." Truly, The Sopranos prequel could very well be one of the highlights of the year.

Directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner, The Many Saints of Newark will precede David Chase's hugely successful crime drama, The Sopranos, providing some insight into the formative years of New Jersey gangster, Tony Soprano. The project has amassed a stellar cast that includes the likes of Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Punisher) as Giovanni Francis "Johnny Boy" Soprano, the father of crime boss Tony Soprano, originally portrayed by Joseph Siravo in six episodes of the HBO drama and Vera Farmiga (The Departed, The Conjuring), who stars as Giovanni's wife and Tony's mother, Livia Soprano, in a role originally played by Nancy Marchand. The real-life son of the late, great James Gandolfini, Michael Gandolfini, also stars as a young Tony Soprano.

The supporting cast includes Alessandro Nivola (A Most Violent Year) as Dickie Moltisanti, father of DiMeo crime family member Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli in The Sopranos, as well as Corey Stoll (Ant-Man), Billy Magnussen (No Time to Die), Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder on the Orient Express), Joey Diaz (Spider-Man 2) and Ray Liotta (Goodfellas).

The Many Saints of Newark is scheduled to hit screens on September 24, 2021, having been pushed back a full year from its original release date. Much like the rest of Warner Bros 2021 projects, The Many Saints of Newark will be released both in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. This comes to us from NME.