Fourteen years removed from the black screen groaned at from across the world, the late James Gandolfini’s spitting image of a son has filled his shoes as none other than Tony Soprano himself. Michael Gandolfini plays the role of an adolescent Anthony, gradually learning how to make his mark on the city of Newark with the help of his uncle, Dickie Moltisanti.
The trailer eases in with a voiceover of Tony from the original show, lamenting, “When I was a kid, guys like me were brought up to follow codes.” Within two seconds, a young Soprano is wailing on a leather-clad teenager. In all fairness, the guy called him a jerk-off, so not for nothin’, though, T.
His neurotic mother also makes an appearance, instilling even more context as to why Tony grew to be such a nervous wreck. In a private conversation with his principal, who tells her that he boasts an incredible IQ, she responds with a begrudging eye-roll and constant shaming, “You can’t prove it by me. He’s got a D+ average.” God, this woman has simply always been the fucking worst.
Even in these two minutes and some odd seconds, we learn a whole lot about where the eventual capo’s head truly used to be. With hopes of going to college, his uncle surely managed to steer him into a different direction, ultimately going to show exactly why Tony had Christopher Moltisanti’s back all those years throughout the show. Until, you know.
And, of course, what better way to fade out of the preview than playing the classic theme song at a hauntingly faint decibel level.
After a pair of setbacks, The Many Saints of Newark, is set to release on October 6.