Sopranos Creator Confirms What Really Happened to Tony in the Finale

[Theodore]

One of the biggest debates in the history of television surrounds the final moments of . Tony (James Gandolfini) and Carmela (Edie Falco) Soprano grab a bite to eat in a Jersey diner when a shady patron enters—then the screen cuts to black. If you assumed the screen cut immediately before the hitman killed Tony Soprano, you'd be correct.

Sopranos creator David Chase confirmed in a recent interview that he always intended for Tony to die, even though the cut-to-black shot wasn't always in the plans.

"Because the scene I had in my was not that scene. Nor did I think of cutting to black," Chase recently told while promoting . "I had a scene in which Tony comes back from a meeting in New York in his car. At the beginning of every show, he came from New York into New Jersey, and the last scene could be him coming from New Jersey back into New York for a meeting at which he was going to be killed."

Instead, Chase was driving one day and stumbled across a 24-hour diner that he thought would be perfect to set the tone. One mysterious ending and "Don't Stop Believin'" needle-drop later, and Chase concocted one of the most-discussed finales in Hollywood.

"Yeah. But I think I had this notion — I was driving on Ocean Park Boulevard near the airport and I saw a little restaurant," Chase added. "It was kind of like a shack that served breakfast. And for some reason I thought, 'Tony should get it in a place like that.' Why? I don't know. That was, like, two years before."

Now that the beloved HBO series is long-over and Tony's upbringing is seen in Newark, a . Chase is already in the midst of a five-year first-look WarnerMedia.

Every season of The Sopranos is now streaming on HBO MAX.

[iamboxing]

I still prefer the open-ended finale in which the viewer can make up his own mind what happened. Sometimes I like to think he survived and other times not, depending on my mood - such is the brilliance of the show.

There is, however, one telling scene in The Many Saints of Newark. When young teenager Tony is looking through the door of Holstens waiting for ****ie to arrive. He's standing in the same spot Tony looks at during the finale before it cuts to black. I believe that scene in the movie was a hint to show us that ****ie finally arrived and that was what Tony saw in the finale i.e. te afterlife. I don't know.

[GhostofDempsey]

I always felt it was the audience that was killed off. "You probably don't hear it coming". Had it been Tony, I believe the final scene would have been from his point of view seeing Meadow coming through the door. Instead, it is from the audience perspective, we are looking at Tony and it is us who are cut off suddenly. The image of the orange cat (Tiger) looking back at the audience the same way the orange cat was staring at Christopher's photo on the wall. The song choices...."Don't Stop Believing" and the flip side being "Any Way you Want it". Everything about that final scene was deliberate. I thought too much was made of the guy in the Member's Only jacket. He was only in the scene for a couple of seconds. If anything he represented Tony's continued paranoia and his need to spend his life looking over his shoulder. It was an ending where life goes on. He has to fight a lawsuit to keep out of prison and hope the dust settles from his war with NY. Meanwhile, debts keep mounting as his materialistic wife continues her real estate pursuits, his daughter is going to law school and his son wants to produce movies.

[QueensburyRules]

One of the biggest debates in the history of television surrounds the final moments of . Tony (James Gandolfini) and Carmela (Edie Falco) Soprano grab a bite to eat in a Jersey diner when a shady patron enters—then the screen cuts to black. If you assumed the screen cut immediately before the hitman killed Tony Soprano, you'd be correct.

Sopranos creator David Chase confirmed in a recent interview that he always intended for Tony to die, even though the cut-to-black shot wasn't always in the plans.

"Because the scene I had in my was not that scene. Nor did I think of cutting to black," Chase recently told while promoting . "I had a scene in which Tony comes back from a meeting in New York in his car. At the beginning of every show, he came from New York into New Jersey, and the last scene could be him coming from New Jersey back into New York for a meeting at which he was going to be killed."

Instead, Chase was driving one day and stumbled across a 24-hour diner that he thought would be perfect to set the tone. One mysterious ending and "Don't Stop Believin'" needle-drop later, and Chase concocted one of the most-discussed finales in Hollywood.

"Yeah. But I think I had this notion — I was driving on Ocean Park Boulevard near the airport and I saw a little restaurant," Chase added. "It was kind of like a shack that served breakfast. And for some reason I thought, 'Tony should get it in a place like that.' Why? I don't know. That was, like, two years before."

Now that the beloved HBO series is long-over and Tony's upbringing is seen in Newark, a . Chase is already in the midst of a five-year first-look WarnerMedia.

Every season of The Sopranos is now streaming on HBO MAX.

- -And here I thought he'd get his nads back...

[2shameless]

I heard Tony died on the crapper. Nevermind that was just the fat, ****** actor that played him.

[markusmod]

I heard Tony died on the crapper. Nevermind that was just the fat, ****** actor that played him.

He never had the makings of a varsity athlete

[jaded]

They could have given some background on the young Ralph Cifaretto…