David Chase's The Many Saints of Newark is a prequel to The Sopranos, but does it have an end-credits scene to wrap-up the movie or tease the future? 14 years after The Sopranos ended with a cut-to-black finale that left audiences in shock and confusion, Chase returns to the world of the New Jersey mob scene with a movie that begins over 30-years earlier. Tony Soprano is still around, but he's just a kid; instead, the show is run by the gangsters who Tony et al spoke of in revered tones, led by Dickie Moltisanti (father of Christopher, who appears in the movie as a baby).
The Many Saints of Newark is, on the one hand, telling its own story, charting Dickie's journey across the late-60s and early-70s, against the backdrop of the 1967 Newark riots. On the other, though, it's very much a movie shaped by events that haven't even happened yet in its timeline: Tony is a key presence throughout, and there are roles for most of his crew, including Silvio Dante, Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri, and Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero.
With the prequel very much connected to and in service of its future protagonist, it's worth wondering if, like many modern movies that are part of a larger property, it has anything after the credits. For anyone hoping for more or thinking of sticking around, The Many Saints of Newark does not have a post-credits scene. Instead, it has what could be best described as a pre-credits scene, where the main action of the movie finishes, the screen briefly goes black, and then another scene plays before the credits begin to roll. After that, there are no actual credits scenes in The Many Saints of Newark, though that doesn't mean it isn't worth sticking around.
There is a fun musical choice that plays over The Many Saints of Newark's end-credits, which is likely to keep some audience members in their seats for a little while as others filter out. And, of course, sticking around for the end-credits is worthwhile to see all of the cast and crew who worked on the movie and deserve appreciation for their craft, as is the case with any movie. The Many Saints of Newark may connect to The Sopranos, but it's not the beginning of its own franchise (yet), so it makes sense there isn't an after-credits scene.
That goes double given it's made by Chase. The Sopranos' ending scene is one of the most abrupt in TV history, cutting to black so quickly that viewers at the time thought their TVs were broken. He isn't one to hang around with teases of more, so it's fitting that The Many Saints of Newark doesn't have an after-credits scene.
