‘The Many Saints Of Newark’ Update: James Gandolfini Son Feels Pressure Of Being Tony Soprano

For those who followed the hit series “The Sopranos” before it ended in 2007, there is a prequel that should be interesting to see.

“The Many Saints of Newark” is set to hit theaters and on HBO Max on Oct. 1 and there will be a familiar name portraying a familiar character.

This is about Michael Gandolfini, the son of the late James Gandolfini. The latter played Tony Soprano in the HBO drama but died in 2013 due to a heart attack while vacationing with his family in Rome. Michael was only 14 at the time.

Michael will take on the character that his father made popularly and admitted that he felt the pressure of taking on the role. The 22-year-old shared his thoughts with the New York Times.

"The pressure is real," he told the outlet. "There's fear. But the second layer, that a lot of people don't think about, which was actually harder, is to play Tony Soprano… not only was it the feeling of my dad — it was like, Tony Soprano is a [expletive] hard character."

For him to understand the Tony Soprano character, Michael needed to watch The Sopranos from the start. He admitted he never watched the series. But as he watched, he admitted it was also an emotional experience seeing his dad on screen.

"Maybe I could know how to play my dad," Michael said. "But I don't know how to play Tony. I have to create my own Tony from my life and still play the things that made him Tony."

The prequel will see the younger versions of the original series. It will be set in Newark, New Jersey in the 1960s, a time when riots between Italian Americans and African Americans were high.

“The Many Saints of Newark” is directed by Alan Taylor. Among the cast members include Ray Liotta, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, John Magaro, Michela De Rossi and Vera Farmiga.

“The Sopranos” series creator David Chase co-wrote the screenplay.