Sylvester Stallone To Debut As TV Series Lead In Kansas City On Paramount Plus

Actor Sylvester Stallone is currently in negotiations to executive produce and star in Kansas City for Paramount+, according to Deadline. This will be Stallone's first major leading role in a television series.

According to a synopsis, the series is set in the present day and chronicles legendary New York mobster Sal--played by Stallone--who is tasked with "re-establishing his Italian mafia family to the modernized, straight-shooting town of Kansas City, Missouri. There, Sal encounters surprising and unsuspecting characters who follow him along his unconventional path to power.

Kansas City comes from Taylor Sheridan (Sicario) and Terence Winter (The Sopranos), with Winter serving as showrunner. David. Glaser, Ron Burkle, and Bob Yari of 101 Studios will executive produce.

Earlier this year, Stallone revealed that he was inspired to write a full pitch for a Rocky Balboa TV show. Stallone said the Rocky show might take place in the 1960s when Rocky was a 17-year-old. Amid the major events of the time--like the Civil Rights movement, the Moon landing, and Vietnam War--Robert "Rocky" Balboa was living a normal, plain life, Stallone wrote. Relatedly, Stallone also revealed this year that he will not appear in the upcoming Creed film, which marks the directorial debut for star Michael B. Jordan.

Stallone's Rocky 4 director's cut, titled Rocky Vs. Drago--The Ultimate Director's Cut was recently released.