Sopranos lead actor James Gandolfini signed a three-year exclusive production deal with HBO. With the hit series ending next year after seven cycles, Gandolfini is launching a production company - Attaboy Films - with his producing partner, former Paramount executive Alex Ryan.
Under the agreement with HBO, Gandolfini's first producing deal, he will develop and produce original TV shows for the pay-cable network and have a first-look deal for feature films at HBO's specialty film distribution division, Picturehouse. Over the past year, Gandolfini and Ryan have been developing the biopic Hemingway, in which Gandolfini stars in the title role, and will continue developing it under the new HBO deal. They pair are also developing Occupation Iraq, a documentary with HBO Documentary Films, about soldiers in Iraq. Their deal also includes a commitment to two pilot scripts.
Gandolfini stars as Tony Soprano on HBO's drama The Sopranos. As of the July Television Critics Association press tour, the network was eyeing a March, 2007 debut date for the final eight episodes of the series.
