Sopranos Documentary: Why Wise Guy Didn't Mention The Prequel Movie — & Why That's A Good Thing
The Sopranos documentary, Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos, was an honest look at one of the most popular shows ever through the eyes of its enigmatic, and occasionally prickly, creator David Chase. Notably, his prequel movie, The Many Saints of Newark, is not even mentioned, despite coming out only a few years earlier. The Sopranos is one of the greatest TV shows of all time, undeniably in the top three ever, rotating within the ranking generally depending on the last time the viewer watched it. Created by David Chase, it's lasted as a defining cultural touchstone.
It's hard to leave The Sopranos alone. There's just so much to mine about the themes of America, wealth, and family, it seems even more relevant and prescient every year that passes. Kudos to David Chase for generally staying away from his creation for as long as possible, but even someone as spotlight-averse as him, eventually had to return. First, there was the prequel The Many Saints of Newark in 2021, and then there was the insightful TV documentary, Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos. Tellingly, Chase does not mention his movie in the documentary that followed.
David Chase Did Not Enjoy Getting His Movie Made
Chase Had Trouble With The First Cut Of The Many Saints Of Newark
Maybe the number one reason The Many Saints of Newark is not so much as mentioned in Wise Guy is that David Chase may have some complicated feelings on his prequel film. Set years before the start of The Sopranos, The Many Saints of Newark was an unexpected but then hugely anticipated film. It was a chance to return to The Sopranos universe with David Chase's strong guiding hand at the helm. However, there were some problems right out of the gate that may have soured Chase a bit on the whole experience.
For one thing, David Chase did not like the first cut of The Many Saints of Newark. While speaking on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Chase suggested he was having some issues with production for the film,
"I didn't like the movie. I know [the scenes from reshoots made the movie better]. I mean, I saw the difference."
Working alongside his director, Alan Taylor, Chase wrote The Many Saints of Newark and had a big hand in the look and feel of the film, so when he saw the first cut of the movie, it must have come as quite a shock. It could be that because he was no longer directing, Chase was not afforded the same amount of control he was accustomed to on The Sopranos. Then, Chase butted heads again with HBO, and in this regard, it seems that the occasionally volatile Chase had good reason to be frustrated with the media company.
By that time, HBO had changed its whole release plan and Chase's movie was released on the streamer and in theaters simultaneously, against Chase's wishes.
Production for The Many Saints of Newark began in April 2019, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was building, and production, like everything in Hollywood, had to be postponed. Shooting eventually resumed, and it was released on September 22, 2021, nearly a year after the original release date of September 25, 2020 (via Deadline). By that time, HBO had changed its whole release plan and Chase's movie was released on the streamer and in theaters simultaneously, against Chase's wishes.
Chase was frustrated that the film was released at home and in theaters at the same time, and when asked how he felt about that decision, he said (via Deadline),
"I don't think, frankly that I would've taken the job if I knew it was going to be a day-and-date release. I think it's awful."
The particularly enraging part for Chase was that he wanted this movie to be considered outside of The Sopranos ecosystem, and not be unfairly compared against it. He thought his film had to, "...shed that television image," and by putting it back on the streamer, HBO had totally missed the point. While Chase does seem pleased with what he made, in May 2023, he made a comment suggesting that maybe it wasn't perfect. In an interview with Drea de Matteo and GQ, De Matteo was asked if she liked The Many Saints of Newark in front of Chase.
Drea de Matteo played Adriana La Cerva in The Sopranos.
De Matteo said no emphatically, much to Chase's amusement, who laughed and responded,
"We should have rewatched the show before making the movie."
Whether he's just playing along with De Matteo or has actually considered whether he could have used more time on the movie is anyone's guess, but it seems like all the issues he faced in production are enough so that he won't bring it up in a documentary like Wise Guy unless asked.
The Many Saints Of Newark Was A Disappointing Follow-Up To The Sopranos
The Prequel Tried To Tell Too Many Stories
The Many Saints of Newark didn't work either on its own or as a way to go back to the beloved Sopranos universe. While the performances for the most part are excellent, save for a few SNL-like impressions of famous characters that can be frustrating at best and laugh-worthy at worst, The Many Saints of Newark is too overstuffed for any one part of it to work. David Chase waited years to return to The Sopranos and, in that time, he must have had a lot of ideas, and he ended up trying to cram them all into his film.
Nothing could tarnish the legacy of The Sopranos, but it's a bummer that one of the few new entries in the series was a letdown.
There are at least four different stories in The Many Saints of Newark and only one of them ends in a somewhat satisfactory way. The intertwining plotlines in The Sopranos were spooled together to create something vibrant and strong, but there isn't enough time in a movie for plots about Dickie Moltisanti, Tony Soprano, race riots, and the Jersey mob to all feel complete. So The Many Saints of Newark feels unfinished. Nothing could tarnish the legacy of The Sopranos, but it's a bummer that one of the few new entries in the series was a letdown.
Wise Guy Is About The Making Of The Sopranos, Not The Sopranos Itself
The Many Saints Of Newark Is Not Why So Many People Love The Sopranos
It's a good thing that The Many Saints of Newark is not a part of Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos. The Sopranos documentary is about David Chase and the experience people had filming the iconic series. It's not about David Chase's career overall, and The Many Saints of Newark is much more interesting when discussed in that context. Wise Guy is a fantastic documentary that explores the particularities of Chase as a showrunner, and how he interacted with the large and varied cast and crew he wrangled for eight years.
Chase's relationship with James Gandolfini is of particular note in the documentary, showcasing their contentious attitudes to one another that somehow resulted in one of the greatest performances and TV shows in the history of the medium. The Many Saints of Newark is an admirable attempt at returning to his iconic series, and it's good David Chase still feels the urge to create. But it doesn't belong in The Sopranos documentary. The Sopranos is something different entirely, and a prequel that came years after the show doesn't get to the core of what Wise Guy wants to show.
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