The latest confirmed additions to the cast of “Sopranos” prequel film “The Many Saints of Newark" include New Jersey’s own Vera Farmiga.
Variety first reported the news that Farmiga and actor Jon Bernthal will join the cast. On Monday, Deadline reported that the actors are in final negotiations for the project.
“The Many Saints of Newark” is set in the 1960s, during the Newark riots and Tony Soprano’s childhood.
Farmiga, 45, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2010 for her role in “Up in the Air," grew up in a Ukrainian enclave in Irvington (speaking only Ukrainian until she was 6), attending St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark. She later graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School.
The actress is known for a number of films, including the 2006 Martin Scorsese film “The Departed” and “The Conjuring” movies, in which she co-starred with Montclair’s Patrick Wilson (“Aquaman”). She can also be seen in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” due out in May. Farmiga, who also starred in the A&E series “Bates Motel,” is due to reprise the role of paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren alongside Wilson’s Ed Warren in the third “Annabelle” movie from New Line Cinema.
New Line is also producing “The Many Saints of Newark," a film written by “Sopranos” creator David Chase and frequent collaborator Lawrence Konner. Alan Taylor, who directed episodes of the original series, is set to direct the movie. Taylor, who has also directed seven episodes of “Game of Thrones,” won an Emmy in 2007 for directing the “Sopranos” episode “Kennedy and Heidi.”
Bernthal, 42, is known for playing Shane Walsh in the AMC series “The Walking Dead" and stars as Frank Castle in the Netflix Marvel series “The Punisher." Like Farmiga, he shares the distinction of having been directed by Martin Scorsese, in Bernthal’s case in the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” He’ll also play Lee Iacocca in the upcoming film “Ford v. Ferrari,” directed by James Mangold.
The nature of the characters Farmiga and Bernthal will play in “The Many Saints of Newark” is unknown. But it follows that someone will have to play Livia Soprano, Tony’s mother, and Johnny Boy Soprano, Tony’s father.
Alessandro Nivola (“Disobedience”), 46, is already confirmed to be playing Dickey/Dickie Moltisanti in the film. Dickey is the father of Christopher Moltisanti, who serves as a mentor and father figure to Tony when his father is in jail. Their last name translates to the “many saints” in the movie’s title.
Last week, HBO celebrated the 20th anniversary of the premiere of “The Sopranos,” which was also marked by “The Sopranos Sessions,” a book from former Star-Ledger TV critics Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall, who covered the show during its run. In the book, Chase talks about the original ending he had for the series, which stumped legions of fans in 2007 with its cut to black.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.