Two mafia movies have made their way on top many movie goers most anticipated list this year, and those two are The Irishman and The Many Saints of Newark. While the former film is being directed by Marty Scorcese himself and has put together a cast of big names stars familiar with the genre including Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci, the other film's cast isn't exactly who you would expect to see headlining a Sopranos prequel. Well sure enough, Ray Liotta who one would expect would've gotten the call from Scorcese to join The Irishman, is instead coming on board for David Chase's Sopranos prequel.
Deadline reports that Liotta has joined the already impressive cast which includes the likes of Jon Bernthal, Michael Gandolfini, Alessandro Nivola, Vera Farmiga, Billy Magnussen, and Corey Stoll. When asked about the project, Liotta expressed his excitement stating, "David [Chase's] talent is unmatched and the directing of Alan Taylor makes this even more exciting." Chase is of course the brains behind The Sopranos, while Taylor directed some note worthy episodes of the show and has gone on work on Game of Thrones in recent years.
As fans of The Sopranos know, David Chase didn't really cast any big name stars in the role. Instead most of the main actors had come from smaller parts in the background of mafia movies, and this was their first time getting to play a lead. With a bigger budget and cemented reputation to back him up now, it seems Chase is using this opportunity to bring on a big name like Liotta known for his work in the genre. Many of The Sopranos main cast members including Michael Imperioli and Lorraine Bracco all starred in Goodfellas, so it only seems right for Henry Hill himself to finally have a part in The Sopranos universe.
Liotta's career has faltered in recent years, but perhaps a role like this can really help get his career back on track. Like every other cast member who has joined this cast, we still have no idea who any of these actors will be playing aside from Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltasanti and Michael Gandolfini as young Tony Soprano. We know Tony's father, mother, and Uncle Junior will all have roles in the movie as it portrays the origins of their crime family amongst the backdrop of the Newark riots of the 1960s. Its unlikely Liotta will be playing any of these roles given his age, but he could be playing an older mentor role to the family.
So what do you think of Ray Liotta joining the cast of The Saints of Newark? Would you have liked to have seen him in The Irishman? Let us know below!
