Sylvester Stallone has been acting in big projects for so long now that it’s almost impossible to nail down what exactly is his most famous role. Many would argue that the title belongs to Rocky, and there likely wouldn’t be much pushback, but another role has emerged in the later years of Stallone’s career that has helped him elevate to an even higher level of stardom. Stallone stars in the lead role of Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi in Tulsa King, the epic crime saga written by Taylor Sheridan that has aired three full seasons with a fourth confirmed to be on the way later this year. Tulsa King has not-so-quietly become one of Sheridan’s biggest shows in the last few years, so much so that it continues to outlast some of its biggest competitors like Landman (starring Billy Bob Thornton) and Mayor of Kingstown (starring Jeremy Renner) at the top of Paramount Plus streaming charts.
When you’ve developed the reputation Stallone has, though, you’re never satisfied and always on the hunt for new projects. News broke yesterday that Stallone and his Balboa Productions banner are teaming up with The Walking Dead veteran Channing Powell to adapt 4MK, the novel by J.D. Parker, into an official series. The project is still in the early stages of development, and it’s unclear at this time if Stallone will star in the series or just executive produce, but either way, it’s moving forward with his steady hand at the helm. It’s also unclear at this time when 4MK will stream upon its release, and that information likely won’t be announced until one of the streamers or networks acquires its rights for distribution.
The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you’re complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes.
You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world’s indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you’re willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family’s weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what’s yours, you don’t escalate — you finish it. You’re not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone’s world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn’t make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it.
You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You’re a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they’ll do to get it. You’re not naive enough to think this world is fair. You’re smart enough to be the one deciding who it’s fair to.
You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you’re not above reminding people that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they’d be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they’re more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don’t need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land.
You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you’re the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky’s world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You’ve made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless.
4MK is set in Chicago, and it follows detective Sam Porter as he hunts for the Four Monkey Killer, a serial murderer who has been terrorizing the city for years with his ruthless code of personal judgment. The killer removes the ears, eyes, and tongues of his victims, leaving every crime scene a clear message that his plans to expose corruption will not stop until the city has been cleansed. The show is going to be the perfect series for fans missing Dexter, but it also means to scratch the Bosch itch, as there will also be the police’s inevitable hunt for the killer.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of 4MK, and check out Stallone in all three seasons of Tulsa King on Paramount+.
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Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi
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