'Sopranos' Movie: Alessandro Nivola Reportedly In Negotiations To Play Dickey Moltisanti

Alessandro Nivola is reportedly in negotiations to be cast for "The Many Saints of Newark" movie. The feature film is a prequel to HBO's critically-acclaimed "The Sopranos" television series which ran from 1999 to 2007.

Like the television series, the movie will also be written and produced by David Chase while Alan Taylor will be directing it, as it seems they're closing in on their first cast member in Nivola, according to a Variety exclusive, later confirmed by Deadline.

Nivola has starred in movies such as Face/Off, American Hustle, Goal 1 and 2 and Jurassic Park 3, and is currently in the running for Best Supporting Actor at the British Independent Film Awards next month for his performance in the romantic drama "Disobedience" alongside Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz.

The 46-year-old is expected to play Dickey Moltisanti, mentor to main character Tony Soprano, portrayed by the late James Gandolfini, and father to Christopher, portrayed by Michael Imperioli.

Although Dickey never featured in the television series as he was dead during the show's timeline, he and his legacy were frequently mentioned by various characters.

A member of the Soprano crew, having helped them rise into prominence in New Jersey, Dickey was in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War before later serving time in prison.

He was killed by Detective Lt. Barry Haydu when Christopher was an infant. In the show, Tony informs Christopher of his father's killer, who had just retired from the force. Christopher would go on to confront Haydu before killing him.

Specific details surrounding the plot of the feature film are not known. It was announced earlier this year that it would serve as a background to the mob story and would be set in the 1960s during the Newark riots. However, one can expect to see Tony's parents Johnny and Livia, Junior Soprano, a younger Paulie Gualtieri and maybe even a young Tony.

Show creator Chase stated last year that he would not want to see a continuation of the series but would prefer a prequel instead.

"I wouldn't want to see that happen, no. Like recasting? Everybody's getting older, you can't match people anymore," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I could conceive of maybe a prequel of The Sopranos. I could never see [a return of the show] except as a prequel."

As Variety writes, the role could be a huge springboard for Nivola, who is currently starring mostly in independent films.

"Nivola currently stars in Jaron Albertin’s indie feature 'Weightless,'" the report added. "He will next be seen opposite Jesse Eisenberg in Riley Stearns’ martial arts satire 'The Art of Self Defense,' which Bleecker Street has slated for a spring 2019 release, as well as the lead role in the upcoming Channel 4 U.K. limited series 'Foreign Skies.'"