Why is Dwight Manfredi from Tulsa King one of the hardest roles Sylvester Stallone ever played? Here's what we know

Sylvester Stallone impressed everyone in 2022 with his dramatic turn in Tulsa King. The Rocky actor headlines the crime drama streaming series as the former Invernizzi crime family capo, Dwight Manfredi, who renounces his affiliation with the latter. Created by Taylor Sheridan, the series follows Dwight's journey to build a new empire of his own in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"Starring the legendary Sylvester Stallone, Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight "The General" Manfredi as he starts fresh in Tulsa, Oklahoma—building a criminal empire in the unlikeliest of places. Check out all your favorite moments here and full episodes on Paramount+"

The Paramount+ series is Stallone's television debut, which helped him showcase his dramatic potential. However, there are several behind-the-scenes facts that you may not be aware of about Tulsa King. One of these factoids is that Dwight Manfredi is amongst Sylvester Stallone's hardest roles, because of his age.

Why was Tulsa King's Dwight one of Sylvester Stallone's toughest roles?

While the actor himself has played a wide range of characters over his long career, he was always associated with Rocky. By the time the Paramount+ series rolled around in the 2020s, Sylvester Stallone was in his 70s. Thus, it would've been physically and mentally exhausting to play the role.

As to why he chose the role, the answer is simple: Because Sylvester Stallone always wanted to play the role of a mob boss. The actor revealed in a November 2022 CBS Sunday Morning interview that he auditioned to play one of the background extras in The Godfather, but was rejected because Stallone didn't look "Italian enough" for them.

Thus, when David Glasser bought up to Taylor Sheridan in the 2020s, that Stallone wanted to play a mob boss for decades, Sheridan wrote the script for the pilot within a day, and a week later, they pitched it to Stallone, who agreed to star in it to fulfill his dream. In a 31 August 2022, Instagram post, the actor celebrated the production wrap while revealing the challenges he faced while playing the character:

"TULSA KING… This was a very long ,difficult ,exciting, mind blowing production has just ended in Oklahoma. Though it was a long time to be away it was worth it and to work with fantastic talent in front and behind the camera. Special shout out to paramountplus for making this happen, to Paramounts Kevin Cox, David Glasser, Terry Winter , Braden Aftergood, Fiona Cush, and last but not least Taylor Sheridan!"

Thus, it is clear that the actor is having a time of his life playing Dwight Manfredi.

What's next for Tulsa King?

The second season ended with the FBI abducting Dwight. The season 3 trailer begins with Dwight in confinement as he asks Kevin Pollak’s Special Agent Musso what he wants. It seems that the third season will see Dwight working as an FBI mole while balancing his interests. But the signature moment of the trailer is Samuel L. Jackson's entrance as Russell Lee Washington Jr. The official logline for Tulsa King Season 3 reads:

“As Dwight’s (Stallone) empire expands, so do his enemies and the risks to his crew. Now, he faces his most dangerous adversaries in Tulsa yet: the Dunmires, a powerful old-money family that doesn’t play by old-world rules, forcing Dwight to fight for everything he’s built and protect his family.”

The upcoming third season is also going to set up another spin-off, NOLA King. For the uninitiated, this spin-off will be headlined by Samuel Jackson. Not much is known about it, but the series does have an 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.”

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The third season of the Sylvester Stallone-led Paramount+ series will stream on September 21, 2025.

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