The Many Saints of Newark Trivia | 58 facts about the new film

“The Many Saints of Newark” is a prequel film to HBO crime series, “The Sopranos”, and it had its premiere this Friday.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about this movie.

1. The Many Saints of Newark is a 2021 American crime drama film
2. The film is marketed with the subtitle A Sopranos Story
3. The film is directed by Alan Taylor
4. It is written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner
5. A prequel to Chase’s HBO crime drama series The Sopranos
6. It takes place during the 1960s and 1970s in Newark, New Jersey
7. The film follows a violent gang war from the perspectives of mobster Dickie Moltisanti and his teenage nephew, Tony Soprano, in the midst of the city’s 1967 riots
8. It stars Alessandro Nivola as Dickie and Michael Gandolfini as Tony
9. The character originated by his father in the series
10. With Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Michela De Rossi, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga in supporting roles
11. Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema obtained the rights to produce The Many Saints of Newark alongside HBO Films
12. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Fall Preview on September 22, 2021
13. It was theatrically released in the United States on October 1, 2021
14. Along with a month-long simultaneous release on the HBO Max streaming service
15. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising Gandolfini’s performance
16. The origins of what ultimately took shape of The Many Saints of Newark happened when David Chase finished film school
17. Having the idea of making a film about four white persons living around Newark, New Jersey who joined the National Guard to avoid being drafted to the Vietnam War only to be sent instead to the 1967 Newark riots
18. Though the film went unproduced
19. Following the release of The Sopranos, Chase was suggested by Oz creator Tom Fontana to write a film centered on Tony Soprano’s father Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano set in the 1930s or 1940s
20. However, the idea eventually fell off due to Chase’s lack of interest
21. Chase ruled out the idea of continuing The Sopranos story in June 2017
22. While simultaneously expressing an interest in a prequel to the series
23. He had earlier been against the idea of making a film based on The Sopranos
24. Especially a sequel to the series, given James Gandolfini’s death in 2013
25. He became interested in Newark due to the 1967 Newark riots and his family ties to the city
26. Acknowledging that a prequel film could explore the period of Tony’s life that he glorified in the show’s early episodes
27. Chase said that the main storyline centers on the 1967 Newark riots and racial tensions between the Italian-American and African-American communities
28. Chase’s biggest challenge during writing was the inclusion of many storylines for different characters
29. Some aspects of those storylines were dropped during editing to let the storylines “take shape” within the film’s overall narrative
30. In March 2018, New Line Cinema announced that it purchased the rights to produce the film along with HBO Films
31. With Chase co-writing the screenplay with Lawrence Konner
32. Chase wasn’t concerned about alienating audiences unfamiliar to the show
33. For him and Konner, their intention was to tell a realistic and respectable dramatic criminal story, under the “auspices” of The Sopranos
34. Alan Taylor, who directed several episodes of The Sopranos, was hired to direct the film in July 2018
35. Chase offered Taylor to direct the film one day while they lunched together, feeling that Taylor had worked in the show’s best episodes and had given him “the most trouble”
36. In contrast to the show, Taylor felt that Chase allowed more creative control over the film than when he ran the show, as Chase spent most of the time outlining the story sequestered in the writer’s room
37. Principal photography began in Brooklyn on April 3, 2019
38. It moved to Newark on May 7
39. It wrapped in June 2019
40. Branford Place, a street in Newark, was transformed to fit the 1960s time period for the riots, including detailed storefronts, the old Adams Theatre marquee, and the retro neon sign for Hobby’s Delicatessen
41. Luther Engler, a retired Newark police officer, served as a technical adviser for the film
42. Filming also took place in Bloomfield
43. Satriale’s Pork Store, which was featured in The Sopranos, was recreated in Paterson
44. Filming was halted upon the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
45. The production returned for re-shoots in September 2020
46. During which the filmmakers shot some important aspects that improved the film’s story
47. In the United States and Canada, The Many Saints of Newark was released alongside Venom: Let There Be Carnage and The Addams Family 2
48. It is projected to gross around $10 million from 3,180 theaters in its opening weekend
49. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 74%
50. Based on 133 reviews
51. With an average rating of 6.9/10
52. The site’s critical consensus reads, “Even as its storytelling chafes at the edges of its cinematic constraints, The Many Saints of Newark proves The Sopranos’ allure is still powerful”
53. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100
54. Based on 43 critics
55. Indicating “generally favorable reviews”
56. Chase has expressed interest in producing a sequel to The Many Saints of Newark that follows Tony Soprano in his 20s
57. Provided he could collaborate with former Sopranos writer Terence Winter
58. Upon hearing this, Winter replied he would do it “in a heartbeat. Absolutely”