James Gandolfini, 'Criminal Justice' 2013 [VIDEO]: Robert De Niro Replaces Dead Actor in HBO Crime Drama

Before James Gandolfini died earlier this year from a hear attack suffered in Italy, the Sopranos star was once again working with HBO on a new mini-series called Criminal Justice. Though the series lost its leading man, production has not halted and a replacement has been found. Academy Award winner Robert De Niro will now star in the 7-episode crime drama in the place of Gandolfini who will have a posthumous executive producer credit on the series.

Director Steve Zaillian and HBO were never sure whether they'd replace James on the series or just scrap the idea, but they chose an actor whom Gandolfini would have liked for the role. De Niro was the first and only choice for the role.

Here is a synopsis of the mini-series from EW:

Based on the 2008 BBC series by Peter Moffat, Criminal Justice is set in New York City, where an attorney (De Niro) is a bit too ambitious in taking on the case of a Pakistani being accused of murder. Riz Ahmed, Bill Camp, Payman Maadi, and Poorna Jagannathan will also star.

The late actor has always had a great working relationship with HBO considering each party had a lot to do with the other's success. At the time of his death, HBO released this statement:

"We're all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family. He was special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect. He touched so many of us over the years with his humor, his warmth and his humility. Our hearts go out to his wife and children during this terrible time. He will be deeply missed by all of us."

James also has a new movie that came out this month entitled Enough Said with Emmy Award winner Julia Louis Dreyfus. Read more about that project and see a trailer HERE!