Sylvester Stallone has shared a first-look image of his character from Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming Tulsa King series. Stallone, the star of such classic franchises as Rocky and Rambo, is one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood, having been a steady presence since he made his debut in the 70s. In recent years, Stallone has created and starred in the action franchise The Expendables, as well as continuing the legacy of his Rocky Balboa character in the Creed spinoff films.
Taylor Sheridan is the actor-turned-writer/director responsible for writing films like Sicario, Hell or High Water, Wind River, and Those Who Wish Me Dead (the latter two he also directed). Sheridan turned his sights to television in 2018 with the Kevin Costner-led Yellowstone for Paramount Plus, which has become a tremendous success and put the new streaming service on the map. Since then, Sheridan has branched out with more shows (and many more on the way), including the Yellowstone spinoff 1883, The Mayor of Kingstown with Jeremy Renner, and now with Tulsa King, starring Stallone.
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Stallone is on-location in Oklahoma filming Tulsa King and revealed a first-look image of his character, saying, “The Tulsa King has arrived!” In the show, Stallone plays a New York mafia capo named Dwight “The General” Manfredi, who is released from prison after serving 25 years and is exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he sets out to build a new crew and a new criminal empire in a brand new city. Sheridan is executive producing the show along with Boardwalk Empire’s Terrence Winter, who also serves as showrunner. Also on deck in an executive producer role is David Glasser, who has highlighted the pairing of Sheridan/Winter/Stallone for Tulsa King, saying that it will focus on a “man who prioritizes loyalty and family over all else, and is now taking stock of his life and grappling with the choices that have brought him to Tulsa.” Take a look at the first image from the show below:
In an earlier Instagram post, Stallone talks about working on the series, saying that he’s having “the greatest time” working on Tulsa King and that he thinks it will be a “big hit” and that he’s “proud to be involved in it.” This is the first time Stallone has starred in a TV/Streaming series, marking a major milestone for the 75-year-old actor. Stallone is joined in Tulsa King by actors Max Casella (The Sopranos), Domenick Lombardozzi (The Wire), Vincent Piazza (Boardwalk Empire), Jeff Panzarella (Blue Bloods), and Chris Caldovino (also Boardwalk Empire).
Stallone playing a mafia boss in a Sheridan/Winter produced show sounds like the perfect role for the actor at this point in his career. As it’s near impossible to maintain the level of physical action roles that defined his early work, Stallone has lost none of his presence as an actor and has only gained more esteem as he’s gotten older. Playing a mafioso looking for redemption feels like something Stallone can really have fun with while expanding his repertoire into some new, potentially darker territory. With any luck (and plenty of talent attached), Stallone’s Tulsa King will be another winner for Paramount Plus, who continue to inch their way up in the streaming world with a solid batch of gripping content.
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Source: Sylvester Stallone