See Sylvester Stallone As An Aging Superhero In Samaritan
Sylvester Stallone has appeared in both the MCU and the DCEU, but now he is getting his own original superhero franchise.
Sylvester Stallone is one of those rare actors to star in both Marvel and DC movies, and now, he’s playing a superhero in his own universe. Amazon Prime Video has dropped the first trailer for Samaritan, a gritty superhero flick in which Stallone plays an aging superhero in hiding. Long thought to be dead, the “Samaritan” lives an unassuming life as Joe Smith, a garbage collector in Granite City. When a young boy (Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton) discovers his secret, the Samaritan has to face his past and take up the mantle of protector once again. The film premieres on August 26 on the streaming service.
We have been peppered with glimpses and teases from the film for months, but the trailer delivers on everything that was promised, giving off a definite Unbreakable vibe with a sense of humor. Directed by Julius Avery (Overlord, Son of a Gun) and written by Bragi F. Schut (Threshold, Escape Room), the film also stars Pilou Asbæk as the film’s villain Cyrus as well as Moises Arias, Martin Starr, Dascha Polanco, and Sophia Tatum. Earlier this month, MGM teased the movie with the release of the official poster image, asking “You wanted more Sylvester Stallone? Ask and you shall receive.” He’s certainly sporting a look different from his other superhero roles, when he played Stakar Ogard (aka Starhawk) in 2017’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and as the CGI-crafted King Shark for DC’s The Suicide Squad in 2021, both directed by James Gunn.
Even at 76, it seems Stallone is busier than ever. He currently has two films in post-production: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Expendables 4, in which Sylvester Stallone reprises his role as mercenary Barney Ross. Both films are expected to release next year. He’s also currently filming Tulsa King, the new series from Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, 1883) in which he plays Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi, a mobster just released from prison, who is sent to look over mob business in Oklahoma. That series premieres on the Paramount+ streaming service in November.
Although he seems to enjoy being in the city (he is often posting videos on Instagram with his daughters visiting local attractions and museums), Sylvester Stallone isn’t enjoying the summer heat blanketing the Southwest right now. He recently made headlines when he said “Being in Oklahoma has definitely prepared me for a lifetime in hell if I ever got sent there.” Although it was reported as if Stallone hated the city, it was clear he was merely talking about the heat. He won’t have to endure the summer temperatures for much longer: he is due to wrap filming in Tulsa in August, right before Samaritan premieres on Prime Video.
Sylvester Stallone is prepping to star in Little America, a sci-fi action flick set in the future in which he plays a military expert hired by a billionaire to rescue his kidnapped daughter. The film is directed by Rowan Athale (Wasteland). We do know, however, that he will not be reprising his iconic role of Rocky Balboa in Creed 3, and although he has been evasive as to why, it appears the real reason may have emerged. He recently called out producer Irwin Winkler, asking him to give him an equity stake in the Rocky franchise, which he created. Amazingly, even though Stallone created and starred in the Rocky films, he does not own any rights to the character or the films. The rights went to Winkler when the first film was made in 1976, and Stallone wants some stake in the rights to leave to his children. “After Irwin controlling ‘Rocky’ for over 47 years, and now ‘Creed’, I really would like to have at least a little [of] WHAT’S LEFT of my rights back, before passing it on to ONLY YOUR CHILDREN,” he recently wrote. “I believe that would be a fair gesture from this 93-year-old gentleman.” Winkler has not responded.
