Alessandro Nivola to Star in SOPRANOS Prequel

Sources tell Variety that Alessandro Nivola is in talks to star as Dickey Moltisanti in "The Many Saints of Newark," the "Sopranos" prequel film, according to Variety.

In the series, Moltisanti is the deceased uncle of Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, and father of Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli. In the show, the character never appears, as he was murdered prior to the drama's timeline, but is talked about as someone who, along with Soprano's father and Uncle Junior, helped turn their small gang into the New Jersey crime family that Soprano eventually heads.

The prequel will be directed by Alan Taylor from a script that series creator David Chase wrote with Lawrence Konner. Chase will also produce the film.

Plot details are vague other than it There is no official plot, but the film will be set during the Newark riots in the '60s.

Nivola starred on Broadway in "The Elephant Man" in 2014, and then again in the West End. HE also starred in the 1995 Broadway revival of "A Month in the Country" and the Roundabout revival of "The Winslow Boy" in 2013.

Nivola currently stars in Jaron Albertin's indie feature "Weightless." He will next be seen opposite Jesse Eisenberg in Riley Stearns' martial arts satire "The Art of Self Defense." He will star in the upcoming Channel 4 U.K. limited series "Foreign Skies," adapted by Lucy Kirkwood from her own Olivier Award-winning play "Chimerica." He also stars opposite Chris Evans and Ben Kingsley in GIDEON RAFF's true story political thriller "The Red Sea Diving Resort."

Read the original article on Variety.