HBO

By Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

After New Line Cinema confirmed earlier this month that it would be working with "Sopranos" creator David Chase on a movie that would serve as a prequel to the acclaimed HBO series, fans of the show got to wondering what that film would look like.

Tentatively titled "The Many Saints of Newark," the film will reportedly focus on Soprano's family in the 1960s and be set around the time of the Newark riots in 1967. What would a "Sopranos" story without Tony Soprano as we know him — married, with two children, a boss of a crime family in northern New Jersey — be like?

For one, Tony Soprano, his mother Livia and Uncle Junior would be a lot younger. His father would also still be alive, along with various members of the DiMeo crime family, including some that we got to see in the series. Flashbacks from the TV show give some hints about the feel of Tony's childhood.

We still don't know exactly which characters from the original series will be portrayed in the film, but we thought we'd make some educated guesses about who we might see. But who would play those characters? Here's a fantasy list of who we would cast for those parts.

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Barry Wetcher | HBO; Sony Pictures Classics

Uncle Junior (Corrado John Soprano Jr.)

Tony Soprano's Uncle Junior will be the man to watch in the "Sopranos" prequel. Junior, born Corrado John Soprano Jr., played by Dominic Chianese in most of the TV series and by Rocco Sisto in flashbacks, is older brother to Tony's father, Giovanni Francis "Johnny Boy" Soprano, and becomes a capo in the DiMeo crime family. Johnny and Junior are often seen together during the flashback segments. Since this is such an important role, we're giving it to top-notch actor Michael Stuhlbarg, at right, who stars in a wide range of acclaimed films including 2017 best picture winner "The Shape of Water." The fact that Stuhlbarg can pull off the signature glasses helps. If we need an even younger Junior Soprano, for flashbacks within the prequel, for instance, there's always 29-year-old actor Griffin Newman (check the glasses-based resemblance).

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HBO; Frederick M. Brown | Getty Images; Star-Ledger file photo; Deborah Lopez

Giovanni Francis 'Johnny Boy' Soprano (Tony's father)

The other key player in any "Sopranos" prequel should be Giovanni Francis "Johnny Boy" Soprano, Tony's father, who would be a rising figure in the DiMeo crime family in the '60s, eventually a capo.

In the TV series, Johnny was played by Joseph Siravo, at left in the photo above. The character has to convey a certain swagger but also be feared. However after his death in 1982, when Tony is in his '20s, Johnny's wife, Livia Soprano, refers to him as "a saint" (hence the "Many Saints of Newark" title?). Johnny has only appeared in flashbacks and in Tony's dreams. So far we've seen him get arrested at an amusement park and slice a finger off the owner of Satriale's Pork Store as payback for the owner's gambling debts, a moment a traumatized young Tony witnessed by accident.

Siravo presented one memorable version of Johnny, but how about Brooklyn-born actor Shaun O'Hagan (at far right in the photo above)? He's not a marquee name, but has appeared in two other HBO series, "Boardwalk Empire" (as Mr. Glass) and "The Deuce" (as Lt. Gerald Sweeney) and is nearly a dead ringer for Tony, or at least someone very closely related to Tony.

Or, second from left in the photo above, if we want to go with a slightly more traditional Johnny look, we have Ken Marino, an actor and screenwriter of Italian-American heritage who you might've seen in the film comedy "Role Models," Adult Swim's "Childrens Hospital," the MTV sketch comedy series "The State" or the ABC series "Fresh Off the Boat." He also appeared in Bobby Cannavale's short-lived HBO series "Vinyl."

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HBO; Jesse Grant | Getty Images

Livia Soprano (Tony's mother)

Filling the shoes of the imposing Livia Soprano is no easy task. Nancy Marchand, the original Livia, was a force to be reckoned with. Later, Laila Robbins (at left) and Laurie Williams both played Young Livia. But Rachel Brosnahan, at right, who won a Golden Globe for starring in Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," demonstrates she can pull off a New York accent and a big personality to boot, all in the late '50s. Though she may have to be aged slightly, we're betting she can do something similar in '60s Newark, and give a commanding performance as the abrasive, dramatic matriarch who harangued son Tony during the original series.

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Barry Wetcher | HBO; Charlie Gallay | Getty Images

Young Tony Soprano

Several young actors portrayed Young Tony Soprano for flashbacks in the original series, playing him at various ages, but in 1967, Tony would have been about 8 years old.

And don't let the mop of curls fool you. Actor August Maturo, 10, is our perfect pick to play Young Tony Soprano, and he's got the acting credits to prove it. Known for his role on the series "Girl Meets World," Maturo is a veritable child acting veteran, having started when he was 4. The young actor has several other high-profile roles coming up, including the horror film "The Nun," with Demian Bichir and Taissa Farmiga, and a starring role in "Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog."

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Angela Weiss | Getty Images; HBO

Janice Soprano (Tony's sister)

Actress Makenzie Moss played a young Lisa Brennan-Jobs opposite Michael Fassbender in the 2015 film "Steve Jobs." As one of several Lisas in the movie, she stood out for her layered interactions with Fassbender. Moss, now 11, can bring just the right amount of attitude and antagonism to the role of young Janice Soprano, Tony's older sister.

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HBO; Star-Ledger file photo

Barbara Soprano (Tony's younger sister)

Who will play the young Barbara Soprano, the future Barbara Giglione, who was portrayed by Nicole Burdette in the original series?

Why, a baby, of course, given the reported time frame of the film. Barbara is the youngest of the Soprano siblings, making Tony the middle child.

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Aristide Economopoulos | The Star-Ledger; Craig Barritt | Getty Images; Leigh Vogel | Getty Images

Paulie Walnuts (Paulie Gualtieri)

Union City's own Bobby Cannavale (at center) is a shoe-in for a younger Paulie Walnuts, played by Tony Sirico (at left) in the original series. It somehow seems wrong that Cannavale wasn't a part of "The Sopranos" to begin with (though he did play gangster Giuseppe Colombano "Gyp" Rosetti on "Boardwalk Empire"), so we're going to right that one.

While we don't know the particulars of the movie cast, it's true that long before Paulie Gualtieri was an underboss in the DiMeo crime family and member of Tony's crew, he worked as a bodyguard for Tony's father, Giovanni "Johnny Boy" Soprano, when he was a teenager.

Cannavale, 47, isn't young enough to play a teen Paulie, but if the film follows Johnny Soprano's career in the mob, he could make an appearance as an adult Paulie. One possibility for an even younger Paulie would be Jake Cannavale (at right), Cannavale's 22-year-old son with ex-wife Jenny Lumet, a screenwriter and daughter of Sidney Lumet. The younger Cannavale, whose great-grandmother is Lena Horne, is a musician and actor. And the Cannavales actually played father and son on "Nurse Jackie," the Showtime series that starred Edie Falco (who plays Carmela Soprano), so this choice could make for excellent continuity!

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Alberto E. Rodriguez | Getty Images; HBO

Young Silvio Dante

Tony Soprano's consigliere Silvio Dante, or "Sil," was born in 1957, just two years before Soprano. He would grow up to own the Bada Bing, which serves as a base of operations for the DiMeo crime family, where Tony has an office. In the TV series, Silvio is Tony's close friend. In the film, he would likely also be seen hanging around a young Tony (possibly with Jackie April Sr. and Ralph Cifaretto). Silvio was played by Steven Van Zandt in the TV series, and it's hard to get his "mean mug" look just right, but for young Silvio, we'll go with Judah Nelson, who is now 12 (he's 9 in the photo above). Don't let his smile throw you off (he has a more mature, stern look in his IMDB photo), he's been at this for a while now, having played Ron Burgundy's son in "Anchorman 2" in 2013. He'll appear in the upcoming film "Robert the Bruce," due out in 2019.

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HBO; Alberto E. Rodriguez | Getty Images

Young Jackie Aprile Sr.

Pierce Gagnon ("Wish I Was Here," "Twin Peaks: The Return"), now 12, is our pick for a young Jackie Aprile (note: not Jackie Aprile Jr.). Born Giacomo Michael Aprile in 1955 — four years before Tony Soprano — Jackie was played by Michael Rispoli in the series. Aprile rises in the DiMeo family alongside Tony, becoming a soldier, captain, and finally, acting boss of the family in 1995.

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David Livingston | Getty Images; HBO

Young Ralph Cifaretto

Parker Bates, 11, who plays a young Kevin Pearson on "This is Us," can be our young Ralph Cifaretto, who, like Tony and Silvio, was born in the late 1950s. Portrayed by Joe Pantoliano in the TV series, the volatile Cifaretto is friends with Tony from a young age and goes on to date Janice Soprano. He ends up killing a stripper from the Bada Bing who he was involved with, but that's not the end of his woes. After he tries Tony's patience one too many times, Tony kills Cifaretto when he becomes convinced that he was the one who set a horse's stable on fire (the horse that made them a lot of money, but Tony cared about the animal, too).

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Santiago Felipe | Getty Images; HBO

Bobby Baccalieri Sr.

We see a lot of Bobby "Baccala" Baccalieri in "The Sopranos," but it's his father, Bobby Baccalieri Sr. (at right), who was a loyal soldier to young Uncle Junior, one known for racking up kills. Played by Burt Young ("Rocky") in the TV series, he suffers from lung cancer, is constantly coughing and later dies in an accident shortly after Tony asks him to whack his godson (he does). If the esteemed actor Mark Ruffalo (or anyone) plays this Mafia soldier, expect him to make an appearance with some smokes.

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HBO; Neilson Barnard | Getty Images

Fran Felstein

Fran Felstein was Johnny Soprano's "goomah"/goomar/comare, or mistress, as revealed when Tony runs into her when visiting his parents' graves. But Uncle Junior was in love with her, too, and had intended to propose marriage, but didn't want to drag her into the Mafia life. In swooped Johnny, and Junior kept his feelings to himself, according to the story he told Tony during the original series. Who knows if Fran "from Bamberger's" — played by Hollywood veteran Polly Bergen, at left — will show up in the movie, but she could make for an interesting character. Actress Kate Mara, at right, star of the upcoming film "Chappaquiddick" and granddaughter of former Giants co-owner Wellington Mara and niece of current co-owner John Mara, could definitely fill Fran's shoes.

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HBO; Bryan Bedder | Getty Images

Ray Curto

In the TV series, capo "Buffalo Ray" Curto, who founded one of the eight crews of the DiMeo crime family in 1960, is secretly an FBI informant, though there is no indication that Tony and company know this, and he dies without being found out. George Loros ("The Rockford Files") played him on the show. We pick Jason Biggs (at right) to do the job for the prequel. Yes, we know, he starred in the "American Pie" movies, but he's also an actor of Italian heritage who grew up in Hasbrouck Heights. That's just two miles from Satin Dolls, aka the Bada Bing.

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Frederick M. Brown | Getty Images; HBO

Michele 'Feech' La Manna

Played by Robert Loggia (at right) in the TV series, Michele "Feech" La Manna, who hails from Italy, is one of the original crew in the DiMeo crime family, becoming a capo, and sees significant jail time later in life. If you look up Loggia in his younger years, you quickly realize Dominic West ("The Wire") is a dead ringer for the veteran actor.

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HBO; Slaven Vlasic | Getty Images

'Uncle' Pat Blundetto

Pat Blundetto, played by Frank Albanese (at left) in the series, is not actually Tony's uncle, but has close ties to the family and was a close associate of Johnny Soprano. Pat's farm in upstate New York is the site of a few buried bodies, which his nephews have to dig up when he sells the place to move to Florida. We pick Morgan Spector ("Homeland") for the role.

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HBO; Mike Coppola | Getty Images

Giuseppe 'Beppy' Scerbo

Giuseppe "Beppy" Scerbo (at left) is a longtime member of Uncle Junior's crew, played by David Chase's real-life uncle, Joe Pucillo. We're going to take some artistic license here and put comedian Chris Gethard ("The Chris Gethard Show"), who hails from West Orange, in the role of the younger Scerbo. In his one-man show broadcast on HBO, Gethard talks about how his mother sounds like Carmela Soprano, so this is just a chance for him to get a piece of the action. His hair may be entirely different, but he wears glasses Uncle Junior wouldn't exactly hate.

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Barry Wetcher | HBO; Mark Mainz | Getty Images

Herman 'Hesh' Rabkin

Jerry Adler (at left) played Soprano associate Herman "Hesh" Rabkin in the original series. He is a trusted adviser to Johnny, and later, Tony Soprano. David Krumholtz ("The Deuce") can surely play the loan shark in his younger years, when he started a record company, F-Note Records.

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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.