Samuel L. Jackson Headlines ‘NOLA King’ Spinoff from ‘Tulsa King’

Samuel L. Jackson steps into the Paramount+ universe as an aging hitman fleeing the New York mob in ‘NOLA King’. The series tracks his return to New Orleans after four decades away, where he seeks to reclaim control of the city while mending family ties. Old adversaries from his past, including criminal rivals and law enforcement, ignite fresh conflicts.

The project originates from Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone-adjacent empire, with Terence Winter as executive producer on both this and the parent show. Jackson portrays Russell Lee Washington Jr., a character first introduced during the third season of ‘Tulsa King’ as a figure of intrigue in the criminal underworld. James Russo reprises his role as Quiet Ray, the Renzetti crime family leader, linking the narratives directly.

Production secures a straight-to-series order from Paramount+, following teases in 2024 about expanding the ‘Tulsa King’ lore. Jackson attached to the role in June 2025, with official greenlight announcements the next month. Filming schedules for February 2026 in New Orleans, as reported by Deadline, align with Jackson’s public push for authentic location shooting.

Sylvester Stallone, who stars as Dwight Manfredi in ‘Tulsa King’, endorsed Jackson’s casting, stating he was the sole actor capable of anchoring the spinoff. The storyline draws inspiration from Manfredi’s Tulsa reinvention, emphasizing themes of second chances amid territorial power struggles. No additional cast members surface yet, though ensemble dynamics mirror the original’s blend of action and character depth.

Jackson voiced enthusiasm for joining Sheridan’s roster during a summer Collider interview, noting at least 15 of the producer’s shows remain on his watchlist. He praised ‘Tulsa King’ specifically before the spinoff concept emerged. On Jimmy Kimmel Live in November 2025, Jackson advocated against cost-cutting measures, questioning, “Why you tryin’ to work cheap? Let’s go to New Orleans!”

The series positions New Orleans as a vibrant backdrop, contrasting Tulsa’s plains with the city’s Creole-infused underbelly. Sheridan’s scripts typically allocate 10-13 episodes per season, budgeting around $10 million each for location-heavy shoots. Winter, an Oscar nominee for ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, oversees writing to maintain the franchise’s gritty authenticity.

‘Tulsa King’ season three, which debuted in September 2025, averaged 8.2 million global viewers per episode on Paramount+ metrics. Its renewal for a fourth season underscores the mothership’s momentum, now extending southward. Jackson’s involvement, fresh off ‘The Piano Lesson’ Oscar buzz, elevates the project’s prestige within the streaming crime genre.

Supporting roles will likely feature local talent versed in dialect and regional lore, per production guidelines. The narrative arcs toward Washington navigating betrayals from his 1980s exile era, when he first fled NOLA after a botched hit. Visual effects teams prepare for stylized action sequences, including waterfront chases and jazz district stakeouts.

Paramount+ positions ‘NOLA King’ as a 2027 tentpole, slotting after ‘Tulsa King’ season four wraps. Jackson’s deal includes producing credits through his Magic Johnson-backed company, granting input on character arcs. The spinoff avoids direct crossovers, focusing on standalone mob intrigue to broaden appeal.

Sheridan’s portfolio, encompassing 28 active series, generates over $2 billion annually for parent company Skydance. Jackson’s screen time in ‘NOLA King’ pilots at 70% lead capacity, emphasizing monologue-driven tension akin to his ‘Pulp Fiction’ roots. Crew hires prioritize IATSE union standards, with safety protocols heightened post-2025 industry strikes.

The project’s script revisions, finalized in October 2025, incorporate feedback from New Orleans cultural consultants to depict Mardi Gras-era settings accurately. Jackson’s preparation includes dialect coaching with NOLA natives, ensuring phonetic precision in patois-heavy dialogues. Paramount+ marketing teases a trailer drop by mid-2026, leveraging Jackson’s 10 million-plus social followers.

This expansion cements Sheridan’s dominance in prestige cable crime, with ‘NOLA King’ projected to capture 7-9 million subscribers in its debut window. Jackson’s character wields a signature suppressed Beretta, nodding to 1970s noir tropes while updating for modern ballistics. The series finale outlines a potential trilogy arc, should viewership metrics exceed benchmarks.

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