James Gandolfini 'would be very proud’ of son Michael for 'The Many Saints of Newark'

James Gandolfini passed away from a heart attack at 51 years old in June 2013, but he will live on forever through Tony Soprano.

Michael Gandolfini is carrying on his father's legacy by portraying a younger Tony Soprano in the forthcoming The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark.

"It was almost surreal to see Michael in the trailer," Deborah Lin, James' widow and Michael's stepmother, told Page Six. "I know it took a lot of courage for him to take this role. It was very emotional. But the whole family is just so proud of him. His father would be very proud."

The Sopranos ruled Sunday nights during its acclaimed six-season run from January 1999 to June 2007, but Michael, who was just 14 when James died, doesn't recall much from the original phenomenon.

"My dad didn’t want me to see Tony Soprano—the violence, the angry, the mean," the 22-year-old actor, who also had a role in Tom Holland-led Cherry earlier this year, told Vanity Fair in February. "Of course I was on set and would visit him in his trailer, but I had never watched the show. ... I never knew Tony Soprano. I only knew my dad."

Once The Many Saints of Newark presented itself, however, Gandolfini cast aside all doubts and devoured all 86 episodes in six weeks.

"It was really hard to watch my dad," he added to VF. "I recorded four hours of his monologues with Melfi and walked around New York with them constantly, constantly, constantly playing in my ear."

The late three-time Emmy winner married Lin in August 2008, with eight-year-old Michael as best man. The couple welcomed a daughter, Liliana, in October 2012.

Directed by Alan Taylor and co-written by Sopranos creator David Chase alongside Lawrence Konner, The Many Saints of Newark is scheduled to hit theaters and HBO Max simultaneously Oct. 1. 

Watch the trailer below.