Rambo, Creed, Rocky, the list goes on. For decades, Sylvester Stallone has been known to the public as a titan of cinema. And despite this, the 75-year-old Hollywood legend keeps finding ways to change things up – now set to take on his first starring role in a TV series. And if that weren’t exciting enough, the series comes from the mind of Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan and The Sopranos’ Terrence Winter.
“There is no better team to tell this story of a fish-out-of-water mobster than Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter. Their talent behind the camera, paired with the iconic Sylvester Stallone, will deliver a thrilling look at a man who prioritises 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,” explains Executive Producer David Glasser when asked what makes the series so exciting.
Here, five reasons it is the next in a line of can’t miss action dramas.
1. Stallone chose to be a part of it
Stallone said the project came about after he met Executive Producer Taylor Sheridan years ago while riding horses in California. “He was working on Sicario on the time. I wanted him to write the screenplay for Rambo. He became very successful with Yellowstone. One day he called me up and shared three sections [of the story]. I said yes. It was very fast.”
Filming his first TV series regular role was a bit of an adjustment. “It’s harder, faster and longer [than doing films],” he adds. “They don’t follow the natural order of things. You have to keep your energy up. In the amount of time we did 10 episodes, it’s equivalent of doing 5 Rockys in a row with no break in the time.”
2. The rest of the cast is just as exciting
Rounding out the cast are veteran crime genre actors like Max Casella (The Sopranos), Domenick Lombardozzi (The Wire), and Vincent Piazza (Boardwalk Empire).
Add Annabella Sciorra, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Jay Will, A.C. Peterson, Garrett Hedlund, and Dana Delany – and you know it’s going to be a goodie.
3. It has a deeper meaning
At the heart of it, the series revolves around a man who’s questioning his life choices and trying to find meaning in his new life.
“The goal was to take Dwight as far away from the New York experience as possible,” explained Executive Producer Terence Winter. “It’s not really about a mafia family as much as it is about one particular mafioso, Dwight. The conflicts he faces are very different. In a typical mob show, they might fight other mob families. In Tulsa he’s on his own and expected to earn money that he sends back to NYC.”
4. Taylor. Bloody. Sheridan.
Of course, the behind-the-scenes talent that’s at play here cannot be denied. Taylor Sheridan has truly made a name for himself as a creative in a short amount of time. He’s the mastermind behind a number of TV’s hottest shows like Mayor of Kingstown but, of course, his crowning jewel is still the Yellowstone franchise, which is branching out in some interesting ways, including the prequel 1883 and the upcoming 1923 starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. Sheridan has a knack for creative intense but grounded worlds, and Tulsa should have all of his signature creative sensibilities.
What’s even better is that the super producer will be joined by Terrence Winter, who serves as a co-creator on the show. Winter has been a part of some of the biggest series to ever grace the small screen, having served as a writer on The Sopranos and the creator of Boardwalk Empire.
Tulsa King is premiering exclusively on Paramount+, November 14 – click here to sign up.
