Despite remakes quickly becoming one of the biggest trends in modern gaming, the excitement surrounding the upcomingMafia: Definitive Editionis some of the most unique in the entire genre. Not only is the re-imagining still something of a mystery, with no in-game footage currently online, but its seemingly one of the biggest remakes put together yet, with afull open-world at its center.
Alongside that, it seems a lot of major overhauls have been decided upon by the game’s developers. One of these exact switch-ups was announced today, with the team over atHangar 13revealing that Tommy Angelo has been recast. While the role was originally portrayed by Michael Sorvino, Angelo will instead be depicted by Australian Italian actor Andrew Bongiorno, who also provided motion capture for the role.
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“I definitely looked into the possibility of getting the original actors,” says Hangar 13 producer Nicole Sandoval on a post onMafia’swebsite. However, the producer notes that its been a long time since the debut ofMafiaback in 2002, and, as she notes, “No one’s voice stays the same, especially after such a long period of time.” Discussing why it was so essential to find new actors to portray these characters, Hanger 13 president Haden Blackman reveals “Since our cinematics rely heavily on motion capture data, it was essential that we have both voice and physical performances. We looked for actors who not only sounded the part, but also looked the part and could perform on both the motion capture stage and in the VO booth.”
As for why Andrew Bongiorno was picked for such an essential role in theMafiafranchise, Blackman cites “We wanted someone who was aspirational at times—someone you might want to be—but who could also convey his very human weaknesses. He also needed to be able to run a gamut of emotions. When Andrew auditioned, he was able to provide that range.” He continued to heap praise on the actor’s laid back nature, telling readers “He just took the direction so well; when we pushed him, he was willing to go there. And it doesn’t hurt that he also looked like how we want Tommy to look.”
All in all, it seems the recasting might have been for the better, withthe new technology behindMafia: Definitive Editionmeaning that fans will get a more authentic and believable Tommy Angelo than ever before. As Blackman signs off his interview stating, “Andrew did an amazing job, and I really look forward to the fans meeting his Tommy Angelo.”
Mafia:DefinitiveEditionwill release on August 28 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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