‘Sopranos’ star wants to quit family

Fans of HBO’s popular drama “The Sopranos” may have to fuhgeddabout a fifth season after James Gandolfini, the actor who plays the family patriarch, filed a lawsuit seeking a release from his contract.

Gandolfini, a two-time Emmy award winner for his portrayal of conflicted mob boss Tony Soprano, alleged in a suit filed in California that HBO violated a clause in his contract when it failed to notify him of a $20- million deal it struck with David Chase, the show’s creator.

The network dismissed Gandolfini’s suit as a negotiating ploy designed to extract more money. The show’s fifth season is scheduled to begin shooting in April, according to a spokesman.

Gandolfini receives about $400,000 an episode under a deal renegotiated after the first season of “The Sopranos,” according to Variety, roughly in line with stars like Martin Sheen of NBC’s “The West Wing.”