HBO and producers from the network's smash mob hit told reporters this week that there are talks of producing a big-screen version of The Sopranos.
"When The Sopranos is no longer a series, one thing we have talked about is the idea of doing a theatrical version," Chris Albrecht, president of HBO original programming, told reporters Monday, according to the New York Times. "We are very interested in exploring it when the time is right."
Brad Grey, who heads the production company behind The Sopranos, went as far as to say "we've talked a lot about it."
"And if all the creative questions can be answered, we'll do it," he added.
With "the creative questions" lingering, that's still a big "if." The Sopranos, which kicks off its fourth season September 15, already faces an uncertain future after season five. That's when creator David Chase says he plans to bow out of the show. And while HBO has the right to keep the show going, many Sopranos stars--including portly patriarch James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco--say they'll call it quits when Chase leaves.
So what does Chase think of a big-screen Tony Soprano?
"That could possibly work," he acknowledged. "I would be very interested in that. My problem creatively is the kids: How old will they be, and all that. Also, if you want to do flashbacks, you don't have Livia. It's tough."
Livia Soprano, Tony's mother, was played by Nancy Marchand, who died in June 2000 before the show's third season.
Meantime, it looks as if The Sopranos are taking a backseat this week to HBO's other favorite family, the Fishers. Alan Ball's funeral drama Six Feet Under nabbed 23 Emmy nominations Thursday, including Outstanding Drama Series. It nicely filled a gap opened up by The Sopranos, which isn't eligible for an Emmy this year because none of its original episodes aired between June 1, 2001 and May 31, 2002.