Tony Soprano, Funnyman? Gandolfini May Star In HBO Comedy

When we last left Tony Soprano, he was scarfing down onion rings and then annoying all of us by NOT being murdered on camera for the finale of “The Sopranos.” Since then, James Gandolfini, who portrayed Soprano, has appeared in three movies (the critically acclaimed “In The Loop,” “Taking Of Pelham 123,” and as a monster voice in “Where The Wild Things Are”), all of which brought him good notice but did little to help him escape Tony’s shadow. Gandolfini played that role so indelibly that it’s impossible he’ll ever disassociate himself from it. Which is fine. Few actors are lucky enough to create a cultural icon like that.

But that doesn’t mean Gandolfini can’t try and strike gold twice. In fact, he’s going right back to Tony’s old stomping grounds at HBO, and back to the tri-state area setting, to produce and possibly star in his own comedy series. From Mike Fleming and Nellie Andreeva over at Deadline:

HBO is teaming with James Gandolfini to develop a U.S. version of the hit French Canadian single-camera comedy series Taxi-22 as a potential starring vehicle for the Sopranos star. The project, to be written by comedy veteran Dave Flebotte, (Desperate Housewives) centers on a politically incorrect cab driver in New York City struggling to keep his life together.

The proposed project is an excellent fit for Gandolfini. It’s easy to forget just how insanely funny Gandolfini was at times on “The Sopranos.” The original Canadian series “Taxi-22” starred a stand-up comedian named Patrick Huard, and while Gandolfini isn’t from the stand-up world, he imbued Tony Soprano with all the classical attributes of a filthy comic: bitter, angry, unhappy, profane, and sarcastic as a default setting. He nailed all of those comic tones, so there’s no reason he can’t make the shift over into a half-hour comedy series. And it’ll be nice, very nice, to see him back at HBO. The man belongs on your TV screen every week.

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