Tulsa King star and Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone has revealed how Taylor Sheridan changed his retirement plans. The legendary action star, who has starred as Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, took on his first-ever leading role in a scripted TV show when he signed on as Dwight Manfredi in Sheridan’s crime drama, which premiered in 2022.
The show has become a huge hit, setting viewership records on Paramount+ and is considered one of Sheridan’s greatest shows, and has given Stallone something of a career resurgence. With Tulsa King season 3 set to premiere on September 21, and season 4 already renewed, Stallone has revealed how the show has postponed his planned retirement.
In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley for Tulsa King season 3, Stallone discussed how the show made him choose to postpone his retirement. Discussing his initial plans to only do two seasons of Tulsa King, Stallone admitted to changing his mind, and that he was happy to continue the show, stating he thinks it’s going to get even better.
Liam Crowley: The ensemble is phenomenal. It helps that you’re at the forefront of it all. Your acting experience goes back decades. You have one of the most storied careers in Hollywood. You said two years ago though that Tulsa King may represent your swan song in acting.
Sylvester Stallone: I did.
Liam Crowley: You might transition more behind the camera. Is that still the case?
Sylvester Stallone: Well, what’s the moral of that story is never listen to an actor. If he has a hit going, he is not walking away, it’s too rare. I only wanted to do two seasons maximum and I was done for real. I’d say goodbye. This is it. Take a polaroid, right, because I’m not coming back. I thought, how do you follow up with it? And then when it came out, [I was like], you can’t quit on this thing. You love sequels anyway, so just go for it. Forget your age and just keep pumping away. And now the next season coming up, this was really good. I think it’s going to be even better.
Liam Crowley: Season 4?
Sylvester Stallone: Yeah, because you got Terry Winter in that group back and they’re fresh and they’re ready to kill.
What This Means For Stallone’s Career Future
Stallone’s comments bode well for the future, and suggest the veteran actor is not done with the show just yet. How many seasons Stallone envisions for Tulsa King remains to be seen, but with season 1 showrunner Terence Winter back behind the scenes for season 4, the show should enjoy a creative shot in the arm moving forward.
It may also be the case that Tulsa King‘s success has given Stallone a new lease of life as a performer, and he may choose to continue with future projects once Tulsa King ends. There are clearly plans for Tulsa King season 4’s story arcs already in place, and there’s a good chance the show gets a season 5 renewal if season 3 posts strong numbers.
Our Take On Tulsa King’s Future
Tulsa King‘s ensemble cast has always been the show’s strong suit, and Stallone’s powerhouse performance is central to this. Shooting a TV show is a very different experience to shooting a movie, but Stallone seems to have taken to the experience, and Tulsa King has reinvigorated his creative spark, which could see it become a long-term hit.
Stallone, who has also co-written several episodes of the show, could wind up behind the camera in Tulsa King season 3 as well, and his attachment to the series doesn’t seem to be waning. There’s a good chance the show might run longer than four seasons, and Stallone might also find involvement with spinoff show NOLA King, prolonging his retirement further.
- Release Date
-
November 13, 2022
- Network
-
Paramount+
- Showrunner
-
Terence Winter
