'Sopranos' prequel to begin filming soon; Italian actress joins cast

Michela De Rossi is seen in Rome, Oct. 1, 2018. (Getty Images)

Italian actress Michela De Rossi will reportedly join the cast of “The Many Saints of Newark,” the planned prequel film to the HBO series “The Sopranos.”

The actress came to the U.S. to audition for the role, according to Deadline Hollywood. She will play an Italian immigrant who settles in Newark, N.J.

The title of the movie refers to the English translation of "Moltisanti," the last name of Christopher Moltisanti, the character played by actor Michael Imperioli in the 1999-2007 series.

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The film, which is reportedly scheduled to start shooting in New York and New Jersey next week, is set during the Newark Riots of the 1960s, which were sparked by a case of police brutality against a black man in 1967.

The plot of the New Line feature will focus on character Dickie Moltisanti, Christopher’s father, who was murdered in the mid-1970s, Comicbook.com reported. He was mentioned on the show but never seen.

De Rossi has also acted in the Italian series “The Rats” and the film “Boys Cry,” which came out last year, the Wrap reported.

The rest of the cast of "The Many Saints" includes Ray Liotta, Vera Farmiga, “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr., Alessandro Nivola, John Magaro, Billy Magnussen, Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll and Michael Gandolfini, the teenage son of the late James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano.

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The script was co-written by “Sopranos” creator David Chase and Lawrence Konner, and Alan Taylor (“Games of Thrones”) is set to direct.