Sumith Prasad
It is not an exaggeration to say that nobody shook the Hollywood box office as consistently as Sylvester Stallone. Although he is not the highest-grossing performer of all time, he is the only actor in Hollywood history to star in a box-office #1 film across six consecutive decades. He redefined the conventions of sports films with his iconic and influential film ‘Rocky’ and the character Rocky Balboa. When the ‘Rocky’ films conquered everything it could, Stallone launched the ‘Rambo’ film series, in which he plays the PTSD-plagued soldier John Rambo. Through films such as ‘Cobra,’ ‘Tango & Cash,’ ‘Cliffhanger,’ ‘Demolition Man,’ and ‘The Specialist,’ the actor became one of the faces of the action genre, alongside his fellow actor and rival, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Even when Stallone passed his prime, his age didn’t stop him from delivering incredible performances. In 2010, in his mid-60s, the actor launched the ‘The Expendables’ film series with a group of actors who have been ruling the action genre. The actor then handed over the baton to Michael B. Jordan by taking the backseat in ‘Creed,’ the first spin-off film of the ‘Rocky’ movie series, only to earn an Academy Award nomination for his performance in the film. Stallone continues to impress the audience with commendable performances, leaving one wondering what to expect from the actor next. Well, let’s find out!
1. Tulsa King Season 4 (2026)
Stallone will be back as Dwight Manfredi in Season 4 of Paramount+’s ‘Tulsa King,’ which is undergoing post-production. Season 3 ended with Manfredi finally getting his revenge on crime boss Jeremiah Dunmire, played by Robert Patrick, by burning him alive. Flula Borg is cast in a recurring role as antagonist Bradley Van Heusen, a tech billionaire whose arrival will put him directly in the path of Dwight Manfredi and his crew. The cast also includes Martin Starr, Jay Will, Garrett Hedlund, Chris Caldovino, and McKenna Quigley Harrington in addition to Stallone, Delany, McDonough, Grillo, and Sciorra. Gretchen Mol is also cast and will play Amanda Clark, a Tulsa politician. We can expect Samuel L. Jackson’s Russell Lee Washington Jr., whom we met in Season 3 itself. Jackson will star in the spin-off series ‘Frisco King,’ centering on Russell Lee Washington Jr. More details about both shows are awaited.
2. Can’t Go Home (November 12, 2027)
Stallone was supposed to direct the pilot episode of the upcoming crime thriller series ‘Can’t Go Home’ for New England Capitol Pictures and On Edge Productions. Developed by Chris Byers and Amy Mariano, the show follows fugitive recovery agents Tom Desjadon and his partner, KD Williams, who are in too deep with Boston’s gangsters. The latter have been wronged, and the duo is forced to choose a life of duplicity and terror to avoid paying the price. The cast includes Tom Mariano (Desjadon), Jennifer Garner (Williams), Maggie Q, Esai Morales, and Paul Guilfoyle. Whether Stallone will direct more episodes is also not known for now. Filming has reportedly yet to begin. The first episode will drop on November 12, 2027.
3. Frisco King (2027)
Stallone will be seen as Dwight Manfredi in Paramount+’s ‘Frisco King,’ a spin-off series of ‘Tulsa King.’ Written by Taylor Sheridan, it will have Samuel L. Jackson as Russell Lee Washington Jr., who befriends Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) during a 10-year stint in federal prison. Russel is subsequently sent to Tulsa by New York’s Renzetti crime family to kill Manfredi. Impressed and inspired by what the latter has done in Tulsa, Washington returns to New Orleans, the home he abandoned 40 years ago, to give himself a second chance, rekindle his relationship with his family, and take control of the city. However, while doing so, he locks horns with his former employers in New York and old enemies, both criminals and cops. Filming is underway. The show will arrive in 2027.
4. The Epiphany (TBA)
‘The Epiphany’ is a crime thriller helmed by William Eubank and based on a script by Katie Lovejoy and Ru Sommer. The AGC Studios production follows a hard-nosed Philadelphia detective (Stallone) who has to team up with a young cop and a former priest to track down a serial killer. This makes him confront his strained past with the Catholic Church, as the killer’s victims are members of the church connected to a local scandal. Stallone is also serving as a producer. More cast members and a release date have yet to be revealed. The movie has reportedly wrapped filming, and a release date is awaited.
5. Never Too Old to Die (TBA)
‘Never Too Old To Die’ is an action-comedy film that revolves around a mysterious murder at a retirement home for spies. A Cold War hero who lives in the establishment assumes responsibility for finding the assassin who also lives there. Brian Otting, who is known for the short film ‘Prom Car ’91,’ penned the film and is set to direct it. The movie is produced by Stallone and Aftergood for the former’s production company, Balboa Productions. Balboa is collaborating with Amazon Studios for the production of the film as part of the former’s multi-year first-look deal with the latter. ‘Never Too Old to Die’ is in pre-production, and a release date has not yet been set.
6. Samaritan 2 (TBA)
Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit the sequel to Amazon’s superhero movie ‘Samaritan’ (2022) starring Sylvester Stallone. Bragi F. Schut is back to pen the script for the second one. He, along with Marc Olivent and Renzo Podesta, created the character as part of their Mythos Comics graphic novels, first published in 2014. Stallone will serve as a producer, too, just as he did in the first one.
‘Samaritan’ tells the story of a kid who comes across an aged sanitation worker, Joe, and believes that Joe is the superhero Samaritan who disappeared more than 20 years ago after an epic fight with his twin brother, Nemesis. According to Amazon, the movie was the number one on the streaming platform for three consecutive weeks. While Julius Avery directed the first one, it remains to be seen whether he will return to direct the sequel. No other cast members have been revealed, but the movie has entered pre-production. So, one thing is for sure: the Samaritan will return soon.
7. Hunter (TBA)
Balboa Productions began developing ‘Hunter’ in 2018, following Stallone’s 2009 acquisition of the rights to the eponymous novel by James Byron Huggins. The actor initially planned to incorporate the novel’s narrative into a ‘Rambo’ storyline but eventually decided to develop it as a standalone film. The novel revolves around Nathaniel Hunter, a man with hyper-tracking skills, who is hired to hunt down a half-human beast created by a renegade agency that poses a threat to human civilization. Stallone will star as Nathaniel Hunter. The pre-production phase has been reached, but a director has yet to be roped in.
8. Scavenger Hunt (TBA)
A collaboration between Amazon Studios and Stallone’s Balboa Productions, ‘Scavenger Hunt’ is a horror film that revolves around a group of high school seniors who decide to revive the ancient, strictly verboten ritual of the scavenger hunt, only to confront a night of “bad things” as foolhardy teens. Stallone’s character is currently under wraps, and the project is in its pre-production phase as of June 2023. Elle Callahan, who directed the horror films ‘Witch Hunt’ and ‘Head Count,’ is at the helm of the movie. Stallone’s second daughter, Sistine Rose Stallone, co-wrote the film with Callahan. The actor and producing partner Braden Aftergood serves as the producer. Further details about production and release date are awaited.
9. Little America (TBA)
‘Strange But True’ fame Rowan Athale’s dystopian film ‘Little America’ follows a former army ranger (Stallone) who is hired by an Asian billionaire to find his daughter in Little America, a walled-off ghetto within Hong Kong where expat Americans have fled after the United States became a bankrupt wasteland. Stallone’s Balboa Productions and AGC Studios (‘The Perfect Find’ and ‘The Tinder Swindler’) are producing the film. ‘Transformers’ director Michael Bay serves as an executive producer for his company Platinum Dunes (‘A Quiet Place’). As of 2020, the project is in its pre-production stage, and more updates about production and release are awaited.
Read More: Is Cliffhanger Based on a True Story?
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