Gandolfini Picked For Prison Flick

LOS ANGELES (AP) â€” ``The Sopranos'' star James Gandolfini got a $5 million offer he couldn't refuse to appear in the new prison film ``The Castle.'' <br><br>The tough-guy actor has

Tuesday, January 9th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) â€” ``The Sopranos'' star James Gandolfini got a $5 million offer he couldn't refuse to appear in the new prison film ``The Castle.''

The tough-guy actor has signed with DreamWorks SKG to play the warden of a military prison in the drama, his manager, Mark Armstrong, said Monday.

Gandolfini's character will fight for control of the prison against an inmate who was once his five-star general.

Robert Redford has signed to play the general, and former film critic Rod Lurie will direct.

After playing meaty side-character roles for much of his career, Gandolfini's fame has skyrocketed since he began his Emmy-winning role as Tony Soprano, the leader of a dysfunctional mob family, on the HBO crime series.

Shooting on ``The Castle'' is scheduled to begin in March after Gandolfini finishes his work on the third season of ``The Sopranos.''