Sopranos creator signs movie deal

Chase's other shows include Northern Exposure and The Rockford Files

David Chase, creator of hit TV drama The Sopranos, has signed a deal with Paramount Pictures to write, produce and direct his first feature film.

The exact nature of the project remains under wraps, though the studio has said it will be an "original drama" and not an adaptation of his mob-based series.

"David is one of the great storytellers of our time," said Paramount Studios chairman Brad Grey in a statement.

"His debut as a film-maker is both highly anticipated and long overdue."

It is Chase's first project since The Sopranos. A spokesman said the film's production and release dates had yet to be set.

Court case

Centred on the fictional life of a New Jersey mob boss played by James Gandolfini, The Sopranos came to an ambiguous end last year after six acclaimed seasons.

In an interview last June, Chase - whose other shows include Northern Exposure and The Rockford Files - did not rule out the possibility of a spin-off film.

"If something appeared that really made a good Sopranos movie, and you could invest in it and everybody else wanted to do it, I would do it," he said.

Last December the 62-year-old won a court case against a former judge who claimed he had helped create the award-winning series.