Vera Farmiga & Jon Bernthal Join 'Sopranos' Prequel Film 'Many Saints Of Newark'

David Chase recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his iconic HBO series “The Sopranos.” But never one to rest on his laurels, the series’ creator has taken it upon himself to co-write the upcoming prequel film “The Many Saints of Newark,” and with production scheduled to begin soon, it would appear we have a couple more members of the cast that are scheduled to join the ‘Sopranos’ universe.

Variety is reporting that actors Vera Farmiga and Jon Bernthal are the latest to join ‘Many Saints.’ While their roles remain a mystery, the actors join Alessandro Nivola, as Dickie Moltisanti, in the cast of the upcoming crime drama. ‘Many Saints’ tells the story of the birth of the crime family made famous in the HBO series as it grows during the 1960s race riots in New Jersey, as the conflict erupts between the African American and Italian American communities.

READ MORE: David Chase Reveals How Tony Will Be Involved In ‘Sopranos’ Prequel Film, ‘Many Saints Of Newark’

Recently, in describing the film, which will actually include Tony Soprano (albeit a much younger version), David Chase said, “The movie will deal with the tensions between the blacks and whites at the time, and Tony Soprano will be part of this, but as a kid.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the writer tackles such a hot-button issue of race relations during a time when racism was rampant. Especially when we’re ostensibly supposed to root for the white guys.

When he’s not out there killing dozens of thugs on Netflix’sThe Punisher” series, actor Jon Bernthal has a pretty great filmography. Over the last several years, the actor has appeared in films like “Wolf of Wall Street,” “Widows,” “Baby Driver,” “Wind River,” and “Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl.” Not a bad list of films, huh?

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Farmiga, on the other hand, doesn’t have a superhero background, and is regularly part of projects that are deemed as must-sees. She’s probably best known for her work in the two ‘Conjuring’ films (and is set to reprise her role in “The Conjuring 3” and the newest “Annabelle” spin-off film). But she’s also earned rave reviews for her performances in films like “Up in the Air,” which earned her an Oscar nomination, and the recent series “Bates Motel.”

No word on a release date for “The Many Saints of Newark,” but with casting heating up and production scheduled for later this year, it would appear that a 2020 release isn’t too far-fetched.