The Sopranos finale is the stuff of legend. Holsten's. Onion rings. The bell. Meadow's awful attempts at parallel parking. The Members Only Jacket. Don’t Stop Believin'. The cut to black. Trying to figure out what happened next is something that has plagued fans for years. We now have a (very much unofficial) answer – thanks to Carmela Soprano actor Edie Falco.
Curiously, it's all thanks to NBA franchise The New York Knicks. As per The Atlantic's Shattered: Hope, Heartbreak and the New York Knicks podcast (H/T Insider), the organization hired both Tony Soprano actor James Gandolfini and Falco for the purposes of reprising their role in a 'sequel' to tempt player LeBron James to the team.
"We got those requests all the time back then and Gandolfini, he did nothing," Falco said. "And somehow, he agreed to this thing, which I was shocked by. I thought it was a prank when someone said he's going to do it."
The short, which has never been publicly seen and is not available to watch anywhere, reportedly sees Tony Soprano very much alive and well and in witness protection. Beyond that, details are scarce – but it's an unbelievable discovery for those who have imagined countless 'what ifs?' since 2007's finale.
The legacy of The Sopranos, however, rumbles on. Prequel movie Many Saints of Newark, starring James Gandolfini's son, Michael, as a younger Tony, is set for release on HBO Max and in theaters on September 24, 2021. LeBron James, meanwhile, will launch his own acting career into the stratosphere as lead in Space Jam sequel A New Legacy.
For more on 2021's lineup, check out our guide to movie release dates. Don't have an HBO Max subscription? Here are some of the best HBO Max deals currently available.
