Action veteran Sylvester Stallone is primed to make his TV debut with Omerta, the new mafia drama in the works by Antoine Fuqua.
Word comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter, noting that Fuqua’s crime series will be adapted from Mario Puzo’s original novels, weaving a story involving a family empire from The Godfather to The Last Don. Stallone will reportedly take point as the patriarch ruling over said organization, though considering that no networks are attached at the time of writing, there’s still much work to be done before Fuqua’s project can enter production in earnest.
What is exciting, however, is the fact that Omerta represents Stallone’s first foray into serialized television. Barring turns in The Expendables franchise – an unashamed cash cow if ever there was one – the actor is beginning to shift gears to deliver powerful, award-worthy performances. It was a change of tact typified by last year’s excellent Creed, and the prospect of Stallone portraying a world-weary mob boss offers up ample dramatic material for the actor to chew on. Plus, with Antoine Fuqua attached to Omerta, we can surely expect some rip-roaring action sequences to boot.
He’ll return behind the helm later this year for a remake of The Magnificent Seven, bringing together the likes of Chris Pratt and Denzel Washington. Sylvester Stallone, meanwhile, will seemingly feature as a faceless cameo in next year’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, while there’s also mooted reports of Creed 2 picking up steam.
