Paramount+ has officially greenlit NOLA King, a spinoff of Taylor Sheridan’s hit drama Tulsa King, with Samuel L. Jackson set to star. Jackson will appear in several episodes of Tulsa King’s upcoming third season before taking the lead. This will be Jackson’s first time headlining a television series.
Paramount+ has also shared a first-look image featuring Jackson alongside Tulsa King star Sylvester Stallone in Episode 309. The new series follows Russell Lee Washington Jr. (Jackson), who befriends Dwight Manfredi (Stallone) during a decade-long federal prison sentence. After their release, the Renzetti crime family sends Washington to Tulsa with the mission of eliminating Dwight.
However, inspired by Dwight’s transformation and moved by the idea of second chances, Washington returns to New Orleans, a city he abandoned four decades earlier, hoping to rebuild connections with his family and reclaim control of the city he left behind. His return sparks conflict with both his former New York employers and long-standing enemies in NOLA, both the criminals and law enforcers.
“Samuel L. Jackson brings unmatched charisma and global star power, making him the perfect person to expand one of our most successful franchises,” commented Chris McCarthy, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment. “Following the massive success of Tulsa King, audiences will now get to experience Jackson’s electrifying and deeply nuanced performance, supercharging the next chapter of this universe.”
NOLA King originated from McCarthy’s vision to grow the Tulsa King world, similar to how Sheridan’s Yellowstone has expanded into multiple spinoffs. McCarthy brought the idea to Stallone, who immediately embraced it.
“Chris McCarthy came to me with a game-changing vision — taking Tulsa King beyond a mob series and turning it into a rich, character-driven franchise,” said Stallone. “Samuel L. Jackson was the only person I saw leading this next chapter, and with David Glasser and 101 Studios, I know we’re in the best hands.”
Sheridan, Stallone, and Jackson will all serve as executive producers for NOLA King, alongside David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Michael Friedman, and Keith Cox. The project was initially penned by Dave Erickson, who was set to serve as showrunner but stepped away due to existing commitments to Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown. A search is currently underway for a new showrunner.
NOLA King is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios and will be distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution outside of Paramount+ markets.
“Working with Paramount has been incredibly rewarding,” said Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios. “Taylor had the brilliant idea to drop Stallone into the middle of Tulsa, and the result exceeded all our expectations. Now we’re adding another icon — I can’t wait to see what Sam brings to the table.”
This marks the first spinoff of Tulsa King, which became Paramount+’s most-watched original series globally in 2024. The third season of the series premieres this September, while production on NOLA King is expected to begin in February.
Source: Deadline
