Fact Check: New 'Sopranos' Series Announced, with Michael Gandolfini Starring as Tony Soprano?

Claim:

In May 2024, the Max streaming service announced a prequel series for "The Sopranos" starring Michael Gandolfini as Tony Soprano.

Rating:

Labeled Satire ( About this rating? )

On May 24, 2024, the popular YODA BBY ABY Facebook page posted a purported announcement of a new prequel show for the acclaimed TV series "The Sopranos." According to the post, "Soprano" will star Michael Gandolfini – the son of the late James Gandolfini – in the leading role of the iconic character Tony Soprano.

According to Google Trends , quite a few Google users searched for the words "new Sopranos Michael Gandolfini" to find more information about the rumor.

The YODA BBY ABY post said the new series would stream exclusively on Max:

SOPRANO SERIES - MICHAEL GANDOLFINI!!!

Witness 10 episodes set in the gritty streets of late 1980s Newark, SOPRANO follows a young Tony Soprano as he rises through the ranks of the mob under the watchful eye of his mentor, Paulie Gualtieri. Struggling with family obligations and the lure of organized crime, Tony forms a tight-knit crew, including his childhood friend Silvio Dante. David Chase masterfully captures the origins of an iconic mob boss in this compelling prequel to The Sopranos, coming soon to MAX.

This post appeared to cause quite a bit of excitement with users, both those who liked the Facebook post and those who searched on Google. After all, Michael Gandolfini previously starred as a young Tony Soprano in the 2021 movie , "The Many Saints of Newark."

However, the truth was the YODA BBY ABY Facebook page publishes content labeled as "satire," as a disclaimer in the page's bio says:

I'm just here to eat frogs, lift rocks and be satirical. The page is 100% satire and fake news.

In other words, there have been no publicly-disclosed announcements about any new TV series or movies based on "The Sopranos."

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Sources:

Google Trends . https://trends.google.com/trends/ .