'Sopranos' prequel film release delayed to September

Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Warner Bros. is delaying the release of its Sopranos prequel film to the fall.

Variety reported Wednesday that The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to the HBO series The Sopranos, will now open in September.

The Many Saints of Newark was originally slated for release in September 2020 but was delayed to March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The movie is now set for Sept. 24.

The Many Saints of Newark will be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, according to Variety. Deadline said AMC and other movie theater chains are negotiating terms on a film-by-film basis.

Warner Bros. announced in December that it will release its entire 2021 film slate in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously.

The Sopranos, created by David Chase and starring late actor James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, had a six-season run on HBO from 1999 to 2007. The Many Saints of Newark is directed by Alan Taylor, with Chase as a producer.

The Many Saints of Newark is set in 1960s and 1970s New Jersey. Alessandro Nivola plays Dickie Moltisanti, Christopher Moltisanti's father, with Jon Bernthal as Giovanni "Johnny Boy" Soprano, Tony Soprano's dad, and Gandolfini's son, Michael Gandolfini, as a young Tony Soprano.