Michael Gandolfini, the son of the famed James Gandolfini, is embracing his role playing a young Tony Soprano in the upcoming The Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark (2020). Behind the scenes footage of the 20-year-old actor participating in a street brawl with another random patron has surfaced and it looks like Gandolfini is going to execute his role as an adolescent Tony Soprano to perfection. Surprisingly, it's hard to believe that Gandolfini had never seen an episode of one of the greatest television series in human history prior to auditioning for a role in the prequel film.
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According to Daily Mail, the scene was filmed in a Bronx neighborhood Thursday (March 12). The scene featured snow-covered street corner where Gandolfini's Tony Soprano character made a phone call in a phonebooth alongside a woman friend of his. A wise guy sporting a black leather jacket and matching slacks had approaches Soprano and his counterpart exchanging words before the two began to trade blows.
The two tussled on the windowfront of a corner business before Soprano's lady friend attempted to intervene only to be pushed to the ground by Soprano. Eventually, the production team yelled cut and Gandolfini and company exchanged smiles, embraced each other, and traded high-fives for their solid work.
With the impact that The Sopranos has had on television and pop culture as a whole, The Many Saints of Newark has some pretty big shoes to fill in order to be considered a worthy advocate of The Sopranos association. While a concrete release date has yet to be revealed, the film is slated to release during the fall months of this year.
Check out Michael Gandolfini show off his hand speed in the behind the scenes footage of The Many Saints of Newark in the video provided below.