It’s official: Samuel L. Jackson will star in Taylor Sheridan‘s next drama series, NOLA King — a spinoff of his Paramount+ series Tulsa King.
Jackson’s character will be introduced in the upcoming third season of Tulsa King (photo above), which debuts in September.
Here’s the official description: “NOLA King follows Russell Lee Washington Jr. (Jackson) who, after befriending Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) during a 10-year stint in federal prison, is sent to Tulsa by New York’s Renzetti crime family to take Dwight out once and for all. Inspired by what Dwight created in Tulsa and impressed with the possibilities of second chances, Washington returns to New Orleans, the home he abandoned 40 years ago, to rekindle his relationship with his family, friends, and to take control of the city he left behind. In so doing, he incurs the wrath of his former employers in New York, and makes himself vulnerable to old NOLA foes, both criminal and cop.”
The move will mark the Hateful Eight star’s first-ever lead role in what’s planned to be an ongoing TV show (he previously starred in a couple of limited series — Apple TV+’s The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey and Marvel’s Secret Invasion).
Still, the casting represents another coup for executive producer Sheridan and Paramount+. In 2023, the Guinness Book of World Records declared Jackson the actor with the highest-grossing collective box office of all time, with his films (including The Avengers franchise and hits like Pulp Fiction — for which he was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor — and Jurassic Park) bringing more than a cumulative $7 billion. The actor has appeared in more than 150 films.
Chris McCarthy, co-CEO of Paramount Global and president of Showtime/MTV Entertainment, said in a statement: “Samuel L. Jackson brings unparalleled presence and global appeal, making him the perfect choice to maximize the momentum of one of our biggest hits and transform it into a hit franchise. Building on the breakout success of Sylvester Stallone’s Tulsa King, audiences will now experience the full force of Jackson’s dynamic, layered performance — supercharging one of Paramount+’s flagship series.”
“Chris McCarthy came to me with a game-changing idea: to elevate my show beyond a mob boss series, creating a dynamic, family-driven franchise,” added Sylvester Stallone. “I was immediately on board. Sam Jackson is the only choice to anchor this new adventure in NOLA and David Glasser and 101 are the perfect partner to bring it to life.”
NOLA King is executive produced by Sheridan, Stallone, Jackson, Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Michael Friedman and Keith Cox.
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