It’s been almost 15 years since mobster Tony Soprano and his family graced television screens as part of HBO drama The Sopranos.
The hit show ended in 2007 and famously left fans with an ambiguously abrupt ending that still had many talking weeks, if not months and years, later.
Now the legendary mob boss, who was played by the late James Gandolfini, is back in The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to the popular show.
The film, which will be released in cinemas and on streaming platform HBO Max on Friday, October 1, will focus on the early years of Tony and his relationship with mentor Dickie Moltisanti.
Callbacks to numerous other series characters are expected in the film, as shown in the first official trailer that dropped on Tuesday evening. In just under 24 hours, it already has more than 1.2 million views on YouTube.
So, for those ready to jump back into the world of Tony Soprano, here are three of the key takeaways from the newly released trailer.
It's a family affair
There is a reason why the young Tony bears such a striking resemblance to the older version: he is played by James Gandolfini’s real-life son, Michael. After the casting was announced back in 2019, insiders on the set claimed that the young actor had learnt to master his father's mannerisms and screen presence. Michael, 22, is best known for his role in HBO drama The Deuce.
The star-studded cast
The trailer also revealed an impressive cast which includes Leslie Odom Jr, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, John Magaro, Michela De Rossi and Goodfellas star Ray Liotta.
Set in the 1960s and 1970s, the film will also explore racial riots in the US as Tony grows up in Newark, New Jersey.
Fans have taken to Twitter to express how they feel about the casting, with many sharing their approval.
"[Michael Gandolfini] looks so much like his dad. Excited to see how some of the best characters from the Sopranos were when they were younger," wrote one Twitter user.
Another fan praised the trailer, saying that even though he didn't watch the original show, the film had his interest.
The origin story of Tony Soprano
Tony Soprano is one of television’s most intriguing anti-heroes. In the show, he had to learn how to balance the needs of his blood family with those of the mafia family that he controlled. He would often display the characteristics of a violent sociopath but also experienced depression and panic attacks.
But how exactly did he become the way he did? The Many Saints of Newark will attempt to give viewers a closer look into his upbringing and younger years to reveal how he eventually grew up to become the ruthless mobster that fans feared yet loved.
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
