The Sopranos creator David Chase is in talks for a new Sopranos TV show – a prequel that could eventually head to HBO Max.
Ann Sarnoff, WarnerMedia CEO of Studios and Network, told Deadline that the studio is “thrilled” with the success of The Many Saints of Newark. “We’re talking to David about a new series, Sopranos related, on HBO Max,” she said.
The decision seems to have been spurred by the success of The Many Saints of Newark, which despite only earning $11.4 million worldwide, has sparked huge interest in The Sopranos once more.
“You see The Sopranos pop into the top ten of viewed series on [HBO Max] and it’s given it an entirely new life,” she added. “It’s literally lifted all of The Sopranos franchise in a new way. You can’t measure just by the box office.”
Chase previously told Deadline that he would consider returning to make a sequel to The Many Saints of Newark. Now, it looks as though that may have become a TV series all of its own.
“There’s only one way that I would do it,” he said about creating another Sopranos movie. “And that was if Terry and I could write the script together. That I would do.”
The story would potentially take place after The Many Saints of Newark but before the start of the original series, bridging the gap between the movie and TV show. It’s unclear whether The Sopranos writer Terry Winter is already on board.
The Many Saints of Newark recently answered a long-lingering question for Sopranos fans, so a new series seems like a very timely addition. But while a new Sopranos show is an intriguing possibility, Warner executive Ann Sarnoff admitted that the series could become a movie sequel in time.
Either way, it looks as though there’s plenty more Sopranos yet to come. And The Many Saints of Newark is just the beginning. We awarded the prequel movie a 7/10 review, calling it "a solid and fan-friendly prequel to the classic HBO series, even if it does try to add too much to the Sopranos Universe."
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.