Sopranos fans can now emerge from their withdrawal symptoms — a new episode of the cult TV series has just begun. The bonus episode is set in a New Jersey courtroom and stars the creator of The Sopranos, David Chase. No one yet knows the exact plot line, but sparks are bound to fly as Chase confronts the man who is trying to whack him hard.
That adversary is Robert Baer, a former municipal judge from New Jersey, who is suing Chase because he claims that he helped spawn the original ideas behind the drama. The case, which began on Wednesday with jury selection, is likely to delight Sopranos obsessives who have been in a state of bereavement since the screen went blank on Tony, Carmela, AJ and Meadow in June.
Not only is Chase expected to give evidence, but Baer has promised to introduce jurors to the man he claims was the real-life inspiration for Tony Soprano.
The Chase-Baer story begins with a meeting in 1995. Baer says they were introduced through a mutual friend and chatted over lunch in California, where he claims he suggested to Chase the concept of a mob drama set in New Jersey.
The lawsuit, filed in 2002, alleges that after that initial meeting Baer went on to give Chase a guided three-day tour of the state, suggesting essential details such as the idea of a pork store, that features in The Sopranos.
The legal action calls for Baer to be compensated for the value of what he did, but leaves the exact amount for the jury to decide, if the suit is successful.
But Chase dismisses the claims as ”egocentric fantasies”. The help he received was merely a modest service, he said.
Chase’s court papers recount how his family moved to New Jersey when Chase was five, then later moved to North Caldwell, the fictional home of Tony Soprano.
He says that he is ”100% Italian” and that his paternal grandmother changed the family name from DeCesare.
He says: ”As a young man growing up in suburban North Jersey I was fascinated with music and the mafia. I was intrigued by the notion that some members of my own ethnic group were ‘tough guys’.”
Chase’s documents also reveal how he pitched the idea for a feature film centred on a mob boss in therapy to two Hollywood agents, Peter Benedek and Chris Harbert: ”They were ‘underwhelmed’, and advised me to forget about mob comedy.” – Guardian Unlimited Â