The prequel to hit mafia drama series “The Sopranos,” which ran from 1999 to 2007, will be directed by Alan Taylor and written and produced by “Sopranos” series creator David Chase and Lawrence Konner.

The project was previously titled “The Many Saints of Newark.” Now retitled “Newark,” the film is set in the era of the Newark riots of the 1960s — sparked by the beating of a black man by white police officers — which saw African American and Italian American gangsters battle it out. The story follows Dickie Moltisanti, a character who was frequently mentioned in “The Sopranos” but never seen.

Alessandro Nivola will play Moltisanti, and Michael Gandolfini, son of the late “Sopranos” star James Gandolfini, will take on the role of a young Tony Soprano in the film.

Vera Farmiga, Ray Liotta, Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen and John Magaro also star.