Sylvester Stallone is crossing Tulsa to Vegas with the upcoming series, Blood Aces. Teaming up with Yellowstone‘s Cole Hauser, Stallone will serve as the show’s executive producer. With his company Balboa Productions, he will be collaborating with American Outlaw Entertainment, and MGM Television.
With Cole Hauser in the lead role, Blood Aces will center on Benny Binion, a real-life figure who laid the groundwork for contemporary gambling in Las Vegas. Currently, Stallone is busy with Tulsa King so isn’t expecting to join the cast of the series, but fans are hoping for a cameo. That aside, here’s everything we know about the series so far.
Who Was Benny Binion?
Benny Binion was born on November 20, 1904, in Pilot Grove, Texas. He suffered from chronic poor health as a child and for the most part was kept out of school as a result. However, his education came in the form of travelling with his father, who was a horse trader. This is where Binion discovered gambling. By age 10, he was already an accomplished horseman and began trading horses for a living. By the age of 19, his honest work had crossed over into criminal acts.
By the 1930s, Binion became known as a feared mob boss, with his syndicate operating out of Dallas. His name really struck fear in the hearts of locals when he shot and killed an African American rumrunner, drawing his pistol so fast he earned the nickname “Cowboy”. After only receiving a two-year suspended sentence, his criminal enterprise kept flourishing. However, the election of Steve Guthrie as Dallas County sheriff in 1946 ultimately marked the end of Binion’s rule in the city. Guthrie rejected Binion’s attempts to buy him off, as he had run on a platform of “cleaning up” the city. Binion went to Nevada with suitcases full of millions of dollars in cash, knowing that the “fix” was gone, and started his illustrious career as a casino owner.
What Will Blood Aces Be About?
Cole Hauser has already showcased his ability to play a formidable cowboy with his acclaimed rendition as Rip Wheeler in Yellowstone. Rip is a loyal ranch hand and enforcer whose actions make him tread the line between hero and villain, perhaps best described as an anti-hero. His upcoming role as Benny Binion might not have as much to lean on hero wise. While many described Binion as a friendly man, he was also feared for his penchant for violence.
Given Hauser’s age, it’s possible that a younger actor will come in to play Binion in his early days. The series is expected to chart the criminal’s journey from Texas to Las Vegas. Blood Aces will be based on Doug J. Swanson‘s 2014 book, Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker. When discussing the series, Sylvester Stallone said: “This is a story that will captivate audiences, and it’s a role made for Cole Hauser to play. I am proud and excited to partner with Cole to bring this story to life.”
The Creative Team Behind Blood Aces
Although many will be hoping to see Sylvester Stallone grace the screen in Blood Aces, he is hard at work filming Tulsa King season four. On top of this, he is also serving as an executive producer on the show’s spinoff series, NOLA King. As of yet, no writer has been confirmed for Blood Aces, however, with Stallone developing the series alongside Hauser, chances are he may lend his hand.
Stallone is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter who has been known to re-write screenplays for movies he has starred in. After crossing over to television with Tulsa King, he has flexed his writing chops with a total of six teleplays for the show. So, if history repeats itself, he could be scribing episodes of Blood Aces.
In terms of the cast, so far Cole Hauser is the only star attached. Following the final season of Yellowstone, Hauser has been relatively quiet. However, he has been filming for Taylor Sheridan‘s spinoff show, The Dutton Ranch. This will land ahead of Blood Aces in the latter months of 2026. Sylvester Stallone will next be seen in the fourth season of Tulsa King, and is also set to star in the action comedy film, Never Too Old to Die.
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