Does The Sopranos really need a prequel?

The Sopranos is not only getting an unnecessary spin-off, they’re getting an unnecessary prequel.

Who saw this coming? I mean, not in a million years did I ever think The Sopranos , of all shows would come back. It’s over. Over and gone, but no, we need more spin-offs, more prequels, more sequels. Why? When I saw the news that’s the only question I had. Why?  Is this necessary? Do we need a Sopranos prequel?

Regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, TV series of all time. The Sopranos ran on HBO for six seasons, starting on January 10, 1999 and ending in 2007, one of the channels earlier shows. Pre-Game of Thrones era. Everyone who watched the series finale probably threw popcorn at the screen when the scene cut to black. The final controversial scene made the viewers guess what happened, no one knew whether or not Tony died. To this day, people are still angry about it. They can’t let it go. And turns out the creators don’t want to let it go either. They’ve announced that the Soprano family is returning.

Will we find out what happened to Tony? We’re getting a prequel, not a sequel so I think that answers that question right there. We can assume that he died.

What we know so far

David Chase is returning as the screenwriter, the script is already accepted by New Line Cinema, and director Alan Taylor has been chosen to direct. The story will reportedly take place during the Newark riots of the 1960s and Chase confirms “some of the beloved characters from the series will appear in the film.” Which ones will appear, he will not specify. I assume they’re going to be new actors given it takes place years before the series and is about what happened before Tony Soprano took over. The original actors are too old to play younger versions, I’ll expect a casting list to be released soon.

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I don’t want to criticize any directors, it’s a hard job, but looking at Taylor’s record, I wouldn’t tell the fans to expect a lot. Chase, the genius behind the series, is on board but Taylor…I’m not sure. This is the man who made both Terminator: Genisys and Thor: The Dark World, movies largely considered to be the worst of their franchises.

It’s official title is The Many Saints of Newark , sounding like it belongs somewhere with The Boondock Saints. The 1960s Newark riots of New Jersey, were caused by racial clashes between the blacks and Italians, which actually sounds like an interesting backdrop for the wiseguys. Given the time period, it’s highly likely that Tony’s father, Giovanni “Johnny Boy,” or his uncle Junior will appear.

Why a prequel?

Why a prequel? The obvious answer is, because Tony is dead and they don’t want to take away the obscurity that was the finale. Another answer might be, because they’ve already finished with Tony’s story and they want to tell another. Or the more realistic reason, because everyone has to have a prequel nowadays. Didn’t they learn anything from Solo: A Star Wars Story? We don’t need anymore “how did they become” stories. Prequels remove the mystery of the past, how did Giovanni or Junior get started? It’s not necessary to know, their large and colorful past that happens off-screen is what makes it interesting.

All these popular movies or shows, are digging for spin-off stories they can make, but instead of taking an somewhat character and giving them their own story; they retell one they’ve already told but in more detail. How did Han Solo become a smuggler? Why do Lucien and Victor from the Underworld movies hate each other ? How did Santanico Pandemonium became a vampire? Their untold stories elevates them to a level of power, making them untouchable,but  detailing their entire history makes them just like everyone else.

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Over a decade later and The Soprano fans are getting something more, but it’s not what they wanted. All they want is a re-due of the final episode where it doesn’t cut to black at the most intense moment. Of course, that was the point, but still, it was very disappointing. There have been some well made prequels over the years, but I’ve always considered them to be the laziest of the spin-offs. I could be wrong, we’ll see.