Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
STARS ON SCREEN
Not-so-‘Rocky’ debut: What’s next for Sylvester Stallone? Not retirement, that’s for sure.
The lead of the highly successful Rocky and Rambo film franchises has been in the news lately, what with the November release of his re-edited version of 1984’s “Rocky IV” (“Rocky vs. Drago”) and the much talkedabout auction of some movie memorabilia — including an annotated “Rocky” script that sold for $437,500.
The biggest news of all, however, is Stallone’s next acting gig: the Hollywood superstar has joined the cast of “Kansas City,” a new drama series coming soon to Paramount+.
Like his “Escape Plan” (2013) and frequent Expendables franchise co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stallone has, until now, largely stuck to film roles for most of his storied career, with the exception of a few oneoff roles and guest appearances as himself. This means “Kansas City” would mark his first TV series regular role (though his additional role as an executive producer gives him yet another credit to his already-lengthy resume).
“Kansas City” is being touted as a modern-day mafia story. It follows New York City-based mobster Sal (Stallone), an aging crime boss forced to relocate to Kansas City, Missouri, where he must re-establish his mafia family and rebuild his empire with the help of some unusual characters.
Though Stallone’s involvement has generated a lot of buzz for this TV production, there was already a lot of talent involved behind the scenes, given that “Kansas City” is the product of a team-up between “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan and “Boardwalk Empire” creator Terence Winter.
Penguin TV: Movie and DC Comics fans can look forward to seeing Colin Farrell (“In Bruges,” 2008) on the big screen when “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson, hits theaters this March.
In the film, Farrell portrays monocle-wearing troublemaker Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin — a role previously played by Burgess Meredith in the ‘60s TV show and film, Danny DeVito in the 1992 film “Batman Returns,” and more recently, Robin Lord Taylor in “Gotham.” Based on comments made by Farrell, the actor may have limited screen time in Matt Reeves’ (“Cloverfield,” 2008) film. But fear not, fans: should a new HBO Max series move forward, Farrell’s Penguin won’t have to share the spotlight as much.
According to Variety, Farrell has agreed to star in and executive produce a series spinoff of “The Batman.” The drama series would reportedly explore The Penguin’s rise to power in the Gotham criminal underworld.
This one is still a work in progress, but Farrell’s involvement adds considerable star power to a project that has reportedly been in development since the fall. While HBO Max is working on several other liveaction DC shows, the still-untitled Penguin series would be the second spinoff from “The Batman” film — the streamer has already ordered a Gotham PD series as part of its efforts to launch a Batman universe spanning across all of its platforms.
Reeves and “The Batman’s” producer Dylan Clark will join Farrell as executive producers, while writer/producer Lauren LeFranc (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) has been tapped to write the script.
Pre ‘Walker’: Star/executive producer Jared Padalecki (“Supernatural”) is reportedly working to expand CW’s “Walker” universe by adding a third series to the budding TV franchise.
Padalecki is the lead of CW’s wildly popular reboot of the Chuck Norris-led ‘90s TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which was itself based on the 1983 film “Lone Wolf McQuade” (also starring Chuck Norris). The actor is also one of the series’ executive producers, a role he’d continue to play in “Walker: Independence,” which hails from “Walker” showrunner Anna Fricke and fellow executive producers Seamus Fahey, Dan Lin and Lindsey Liberatore.
It seems Fricke and Fahey have already mapped out a main plotline, though the names of actors filling the roles have yet to be announced.
Set in the late 1800s, “Walker: Independence” follows Abby Walker, an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes during their arduous trek west. Setting out on a quest for revenge, Abby crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins, who is described as a lovable rogue in search of a purpose. Their journey takes them to Independence, Texas, where they encounter a diverse and eclectic group of citizens who are each running from their own pasts. Hiding from their demons while trying to chase their dreams, they become agents of change in their small town.
It’s not clear yet how the characters are related to “Walker’s” Abeline Walker (played by Molly Hagan, “Jane the Virgin”) and her sons, Cordell (Padalecki) and Liam (Keegan Allen, “Pretty Little Liars”), or Cordell’s best friend, Hoyt Rawlins (Matt Barr, “Blood & Treasure”), though the names certainly suggest a clear connection.