Leslie Odom Jr. has landed a starring role in HBO’s The Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark.
According to Deadline, the specifics of Odom’s role hasn’t been revealed, but the film itself will focus on Black-Italian race relations. The film is set in Newark, New Jersey, in the 1960s at the time of the Newark riots. Gangsters from each side are warring, and Odom’s character will come into contact with Allesandro Nivola’s character, Dicki Moltisani, the father of Tony Soprano’s right-hand, Christopher.
The cast also includes Michael Gandolfini, who is taking over the Tony Soprano role played by his father, James Gandolfini, who died in 2013. Vera Farmiga, Ray Liotta, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, John Magaro and Jon Bernthal round out the cast. Odom is the first of the film’s Black stars to be cast, and more should be expected in the coming weeks.
Alan Taylor directs the film from a script written by The Sopranos creator David Chase along with Lawrence Konner.
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