The cast of HBO’s seminal crime drama – The Sopranos – as well as series creator David Chase are reuniting to raise money for the Friends of Firefighters charity. Established after 9/11, this non-profit provides “mental health counselling, peer support, and wellness services” for both active and retired New York firefighters, in addition to their families.
Spanning for a hefty total of two hours, The Sopranos / Friends of Firefighters event will reportedly feature:
- Steve Buscemi
- Lorraine Bracco
- Edie Falco
- Michael Imperioli
- Robert Iler
- Drea de Matteo
- Tim Van Patten
- Steve Schirripa
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler
- Maureen Van Zandt
- Steven Van Zandt
… as well as writer Terence Winter, who has since penned the screenplay for The Wolf of Wall Street, created Boardwalk Empire, and was even attached to be the showrunner for HBO’s The Batman spin-off series earlier this year.
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The live table read won’t exactly be an episode we’ve encountered before, either. According to Deadline, we’re in for an all-new sketch written by Chase and Winter for the fundraiser streamed via Tiltify’s Twitch page (donations are currently open here).
Fans of The Sopranos have certainly been getting their fill of content lately. In addition to Imperioli and Schirripa’s hit podcast Talking Sopranos and a forthcoming book, a prequel film – The Many Saints of Newark – is scheduled to release in cinemas and online streaming simultaneously early next year, thanks to the recent decision made by Warner Bros.
Starring Michael Gandolfini (son of James Gandolfini) as a young Tony Soprano, The Many Saints of Newark will depict the future capo’s formative years during the 1967 Newark riots – a time fraught with racial tensions dubbed “The Long Hot Summer of 1967” when African-Americans and Italians were at each other’s throats, escalating to deadly heights among the underworld.
“It’s a profound honour to continue my dad’s legacy while stepping into the shoes of a young Tony Soprano,” says young Gandolfini.
“I’m thrilled that I am going to have the opportunity to work with [show creator & film screenwriter] David Chase, and the incredible company of talent he has assembled.”
RELATED: ‘The Sopranos’ Creator David Chase Is Working On A New HBO Drama
Gandolfini will be joined by Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti, Jon Bernthal as Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano, Vera Farmiga as Livia Soprano, as well as Billy Magnussen, Ray Liotta, Leslie Odom Jr., and even Joe Rogan podcast favourite, comedian Joey “Coco” Diaz.
The Many Saints of Newark will be released on March 12th of 2021; while the charity event will go down this Friday at 7 PM over in the US. So sometime on Saturday for Aussies.
