David Chase lands cast, reteams with Steve Van Zandt for his feature debut

John Magaro, Jack Huston and Will Brill will star for the 'Sopranos' creator

By Daniel Fienberg Friday, Oct 15, 2010 2:55 PM

David Chase

Credit: AP

"Sopranos" mastermind David Chase has cast a trio of relative unknowns to topline his feature debut and reunited with an old pal for its music.

A currently untitled coming-of-age music-driven drama, Chase's Paramount Vantage project will begin production in January with John Magaro, Jack Huston and Will Brill starring.

The project, which reunites Chase with Paramount Chairman and CEO Brad Grey, comes from an original Chase script. Chase will produce along with Mark Johnson ("Rain Man"), as well as "Sopranos" co-star Steve Van Zandt, who will act as the film's musical supervisor.

"It’s exciting to be working with Brad Grey again, doing my first feature. I look back with pleasure on our last outing," Chase says in a Paramount statement. "I am also thrilled to be working with Steven again, especially on this particular subject. It’s not just that we both worship the same songs and bands from the era -- it’s that he obviously knows so much. About every aspect. He embodies a particular spirit of a particular kind of rock and roll. He actually is that spirit."

Grey adds, "Everyone at Paramount is proud that our studio will be the home of David’s first feature. He is a gifted story-teller and a great friend. His talent, along with Steven’s, promises something uniquely insightful and entertaining. We are all looking forward to a great picture and I am personally looking forward to working with them both again."

The three leads were cast after a nationwide talent search. This will be Brill's feature debut. Magaro is appearing in Wes Craven's "My Soul To Take." And Huston (nephew of Anjelica Huston and Danny Huston), was most recently seen in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" and is currently appearing in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire."

The Chase project was first announced back in May of 2008. The Emmy winner most recent signed on to write and executive produce "A Ribbon of Dreams," a movie-driven HBO miniseries, though that project was announced in March of 2009 and nothing has been mentioned since.

Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.