'Tulsa King': Craig Zisk EP, Annabella Sciorra, Tatiana Zappardino Upped

Sylvester Stallone as Dwight Manfredi, Tatiana Zappardino as Tina, and Annabella Sciorra as Joanne in 'Tulsa King' (inset) Craig Zisk Brian Douglas/Paramount+/Michael Buckner/Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: Craig Zisk (Weeds, The Larry Sanders Show) has been tapped to direct and executive produce Season 2 of Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ original series Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone, which has started production. Now designated as a comedy series, Tulsa King will film in Oklahoma and Atlanta.

As Deadline reported in February, Terence Winter, who stepped down as showrunner of the mob drama/comedy after its first season, has come back as a writer on Season 2 in addition to his continuing duties as an executive producer. The series opted not to get a replacement for Winter in line with the practice at the other Sheridan series produced by 101 Studios that don’t have a traditional showrunner. Instead, Tulsa King, produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, was to bring in a director/executive producer, which it now has with Zisk’s hire.

Annabella Sciorra and Tatiana Zappardino, who recurred on Season 1, have been upped to series regulars for the second season, joining the show’s ensemble cast that includes Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza and Jay Will, with Garrett Hedlund and Dana Delany.

Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Stallone), just after he is released from prison after 25 years and is unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a crew from a group of unlikely characters to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet.

Sciorra plays Joanne Manfredi, Dwight’s younger sister. Zappardino plays Tina Manfredi-Grieger, Dwight’s estranged daughter.

Creator Sheridan returns as executive producer. The series also is executive produced by Stallone, David C. Glasser, Winter, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin and Braden Aftergood.

Tulsa King is Paramount+’s second most-watched series of all-time behind Sheridan’s 1923. Season 1 will make its broadcast debut on sibling CBS this summer prior to the launch of Season 2 on Paramount+ this fall.

Zisk has served as director and executive producer/co-executive producer on such series as Weeds, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Looming Tower and The Mysterious Benedict Society. He most recently directed episodes of Halo and Interview with the Vampire.