WarnerMedia In Talks With David Chase About Sopranos Prequel Series

The Many Saints of Newark may not have lit up the box office, but WarnerMedia is happy with it and are in talks for a Sopranos prequel series. Deadline spoke with WarnerMedia Studios & Networks CEO Ann Sarnoff, who confirmed that the company is “thrilled” with how Many Saints has performed and said that they’re talking about an HBO Max series spinning off from the film.

“We’re talking to David [Chase] about a new series, Sopranos related, on HBO Max,” Sarnoff said.

The comment comes after Sarnoff and Jason Kilar spoke with Deadline and said that the box office performance of films that were released day-and-date on HBO Max would not kill the chance that those films get sequels or other follow-ups.

That’s important for Many Saints, which fell flat in theaters with an $11 million worldwide gross to date. While the box office results have been (expectedly) low, Warner execs have been quick to point out how the film helped boost The Sopranos to new heights on HBO Max.

“We’re thrilled with the results of Many Saints,” Sarnoff told the outlet. “Yes, the box office was not quite as big, but back again to the demographics of whose going to theaters. On the other hand, you see Sopranos pop into the top 10 of the most viewed series on the service. It’s given it an entirely new life. We’re talking to David about a new series Sopranos related on HBO Max. It’s (the movie) literally lifted the Sopranos franchise in a new way, so you can’t measure it in and of itself in the box office.”

Sopranos creator David Chase, who wrote the prequel film, previously said that he would be interested in a film that followed up on the events of that 1960s-set movie.