Credit: @TulsaKing
Paramount+ just dropped an explosive new trailer for the upcoming gangster series Tulsa King starring Sylvester Stallone and it looks like an absolute blast!
Stallone will play Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi, an Italian mobster who has just served 25 years in prison. Upon his release, he realises his old friends might not have his best interests at heart and is exiled to set up shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he soon sets up his own crew of unlikely criminals.
From creator, Taylor Sheridan, perhaps the hardest working writer in TV at the moment, with shows such as Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown and 1883 under his belt, and Terence Winter, former staff writer on the legendary HBO series The Sopranos, this is shaping up to be a tremendous gangster drama.
Stallone has always wanted to play a mobster and after being rejected for a background role in The Godfather in 1972, he got his chance when he portrayed Angelo Provolone in 1991’s crime comedy, Oscar, a tale of a gangster attempting to get on the straight and narrow after a promise he made to his dying father. Now, Stallone is giving the mafia life another pop with Tulsa King, only this time, this mobster isn’t cleaning up one bit. He’s getting dirtier.
Credit: @TulsaKing
In the action-packed trailer, we see Sly bag himself a wheelman as he soon as he sets foot in Tulsa, smoothly sliding over an envelope of cash, giving him an offer he can’t refuse – 2 grand a month. 51 seconds in and he has a phone cord wrapped around some poor guy’s neck and is dishing out a jab meaner than Rocky Balboa himself. After that, he makes his way over to a legal weed shop, effortlessly knocks a guy out with a water flask and then offers his protection to the owner, played by Martin Starr, who we can safely assume is some much-needed comedic relief in the show.
Bodies will pile high and mayhem will definitely ensue as the trailer goes on to see Stallone leading a gang armed with baseball bats into a battle with some mean looking bikers. A SWAT team descends on an exploding house and towards the end of the trailer a body is thrown into a grave while Stallone towers over, shovel in hand and nonchalantly says, “Too soon to tell” when asked “Is this a one off or one of many?” Now that sounds like a whole heap of fun!
Credit: @TulsaKing
As tough and as mean as Sly looks in his suave suit, it seems he will also get to flex his comedic chops in Tulsa King as well. With a few mood lightening moments and witty one liners in the trailer and with Stallone’s SNL appearances to prove he can make us laugh when he wants to, it seems we are in safe hands for a well-rounded, multi layered series packed full of action, drama and dark comedy.
Tulsa King will mark Stallone’s TV debut in a leading role and will be another title on the impressive, ever-growing slate of Taylor Sheridan. With the first 2 episodes landing on November 13th right after the season 5 premiere of Yellowstone, and the further 8 episodes dropping weekly after that, 2022 going into 2023 is going to be a big year for Stallone. Not only is he set to reprise his role as Barney Ross, the elite, tough as nails mercenary in The Expendables 4, he is also returning as Stakar Ogord for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
At 76 years of age, this Hollywood juggernaut and action legend is showing no signs of slowing down. And with legends like Clint Eastwood taking out the bad guys well into his 90s, who’s to say Stallone won’t be following suit and gracing our screens for another decade or two himself!
Tulsa King co-stars Garrett Hedlund, Andrea Savage, Jay Will, Vincent Piazza and Domenick Lombardozzi. Benjamin Semanoff of Ozark and I Know What You Did Last Summer is directing and Stallone is executive-producing alongside Winter and Sheridan. It is unknown if a second season will be commissioned yet but if the world wants to see Stallone kick some more ass in the years to come and Sheridan’s insatiable thirst to create drama stays alive and kicking, then why the hell not!
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