Sylvester Stallone Breaks Silence on Tulsa King’s Third Season – What He’s Saying Will Shock Fans!

Sylvester Stallone’s reign as Dwight “The General” Manfredi isn’t over yet. Paramount+ has greenlit a third season of Tulsa King, the gritty crime drama that’s hooked viewers worldwide, with production kicking off this month. As of March 19, 2025, the news—confirmed by Screen Rant, TV Insider, and the streamer’s own social media—marks a victory lap for Stallone, whose mafioso-in-exile has become a late-career triumph. With a potential late 2025 or early 2026 premiere looming, the 78-year-old icon is savoring a role he calls the “missing piece” of his storied journey from Rocky to Rambo.

A Renewal Fueled by Success

The road to season 3 wasn’t a straight shot. Rumblings of renewal surfaced in September 2024 when Stallone posted on Instagram, thanking the cast and crew and teasing, “We are working on the third season at this moment.” By late 2024, IMDb noted Paramount+ hadn’t officially committed, but Stallone’s confidence hinted at backroom talks. Those whispers became reality on March 18, 2025, when Paramount+ announced production’s start, buoyed by season 2’s 75% viewership spike and a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, per The Direct. The Oklahoman reports suggest a two-season deal—possibly stretching to four—with Stallone’s per-episode pay jumping from $750,000 to a cool $1.5 million. It’s a testament to the show’s clout in Taylor Sheridan’s sprawling TV empire, alongside juggernauts like Yellowstone.

Crafting Dwight: A Gangster Like No Other

For Stallone, Tulsa King isn’t just another gig—it’s a dream realized. Playing Dwight Manfredi, a mobster sprung from prison and banished to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to rebuild his empire, he’s found a character that’s equal parts muscle and soul. “I wanted to play a gangster my way,” he told The Hollywood Reporter, drawing inspiration from Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis rather than the usual thug tropes. “I played close to myself—a guy who’s been around, seen things, but isn’t just a cliché.”

Stallone’s fingerprints are all over Dwight. He tweaked the pilot script—penned by The Sopranos alum Terence Winter—adding lines like “The answer is always ‘no’ until you ask,” despite ruffling some feathers. “They were disturbed at first,” he admitted, but the collaboration with Winter and Sheridan clicked. It’s a role he’d long coveted, a chance to channel the mobster gravitas of Tony Soprano in a format that lets his larger-than-life presence breathe. “This was the missing piece in my career,” he told CBS News, a sentiment echoed across interviews.

Age, Humor, and Heart

At 76 during a 2022 Hollywood Reporter chat, Stallone brought a wry perspective to Dwight’s age—75 in the show. One scene, where a woman bolts after learning his years, left him chuckling and wincing. “It’s flattering and depressing,” he said, feeling like “the oldest guy on set, maybe some cast members’ grandfather.” That vulnerability seeps into Dwight, a fish-out-of-water capo whose pragmatic quips—like musing on college degrees (IMDb)—blend humor with hard-earned wisdom.

He sees echoes of past roles too. In January 2025, Screen Rant captured him calling Dwight a spiritual prequel to his flop Get Carter, another aging anti-hero. Where that film tanked, Tulsa King soars, a redemption arc for Stallone’s knack for complex tough guys.

What’s Next

As season 3 films in Atlanta—cast member Tatiana Zappardino told Radio Times the team’s locked down studio space—Stallone’s savoring the ride. “We’ve got a unique blend here,” he told Collider, crediting Sheridan and Winter for letting him mold Manfredi into a mafia kingpin with heart. Den of Geek notes it’s his first big TV plunge, a shift from silver-screen heroics to small-screen nuance.

With viewership soaring and critics raving, Tulsa King proves Stallone’s still got it. Season 3 promises more of Dwight’s Tulsa odyssey—grit, guile, and a touch of Kafkaesque swagger. For a legend who’s dodged punches and penned anthems, this role isn’t just a comeback; it’s a coronation.