The Sopranos creator, David Chase, seemed to confirm the fate of James Gandolfini’s character in the series finale. During an interview for an upcoming book, The Sopranos Sessions , Chase appeared to conclude that Tony Soprano did not survive, The Independent reported on Thursday.
The book’s co-author, Alan Sepinwall, asked Chase during an interview about the “endpoint” of the HBO series. The question was to clarify if the creator meant the final scene where Tony Soprano was at Holsten’s restaurant or how the show overall would end. Chase spilled lots of information in his reply.
“Yes, I think I had that death scene around two years before the end.”
The fact that the creator used the word death concerning the final scene was a significant detail that was never before disclosed. When The Sopranos wrapped 13 years ago, the fate of the lead character, Tony Soprano, was unknown. The show simply went black as fans were left on the edge of their seats, wondering what happened to the infamous mob boss.
Chase provided more details as to how the scene would have continued if the show hadn’t ended with the Soprano family eating at the restaurant.
“Tony was going to get called to a meeting with Johnny Sack in Manhattan, and he was going to go back through the Lincoln Tunnel for this meeting, and it was going to go black there and you never saw him again as he was heading back, the theory being that something bad happens to him at the meeting. But we didn’t do that.”
After this exchange, the book’s co-author calls out the importance of what Chase had said. He asked the series creator if he realized that he had called the final scene a “death scene.” The creator took a long pause to think. Eventually, he replied with a strong statement.
“F*ck you guys.”
The conversation continued, and Chase ensured that Tony’s fate was unclear.
Chase is currently working on a prequel to The Sopranos titled The Many Saints of Newark . According to Vulture , the movie will star Michael Gandolfini as a young Tony Soprano. Gandolfini’s dad, who played Tony Soprano, passed away suddenly in 2013.
Other characters from the original series will be included, although it isn’t clear which ones. Ray Liotta is reportedly a part of the cast. The actor was offered a role in the original series but turned it down.
The Many Saints of Newark will hit theaters on September 25.