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It’s good to be “Frisco King” for Samuel L. Jackson, who stars in the crime drama spinoff of Sylvester Stallone’s “Tulsa King.”
Jackson, 77, lived it up to capture the swagger of his effusive hitman-turned-hustler, Russell Lee Washington Jr., in the Paramount+ series streaming later this year.
“We had a lotta MF’n Fun!!!” Jackson tells USA TODAY by email. “I just hope the audience enjoys it as much as I did living in this world over eight episodes.”
Jackson has played integral roles in the MCU and the “Star Wars” movie universes. Now the iconic movie actor, previously Oscar-nominated for playing a Bible-quoting hitman in “Pulp Fiction,” heads to the Taylor Sheridan Universe as a one-time assassin opening a criminal enterprise in suburban Texas.
Washington assembles an unlikely crew of young, wet-behind-the-ears associates for his operation, including entrepreneurial college dropout Teddy (newly minted “X-Men” Angel, Asa Germann), hotel valet Keith (Kai Caster), popular cheerleader London (Lilah Pate) and her friend and fellow cheerleader Avery (Savanna Gann).
Jackson’s Washington was first introduced in “Tulsa King” Season 3. The assassin was sent to kill Oklahoma crime boss Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Stallone) by jealous New York mobsters. Instead, Washington switched sides, joining forces with his one-time prison friend Manfredi.
In “Frisco King,” Washington heads out to Frisco, Texas – the booming, moneyed Dallas suburb – to build his own criminal empire. Audience members who initially think “Frisco King” is set in San Francisco will discover the once sleepy railroad town that’s now Dallas Cowboys headquarters.
“People will be like, ‘You mean San Francisco?'” says executive producer and director Christina Alexandra Voros. “No, it’s Frisco. People will soon know Frisco as its own entity.”
How much is ‘Tulsa King’ Stallone in ‘Frisco King’?
Executive producer Stallone is along for a portion of the ride, as Manfredi appears in the opening “Frisco King” episode with Washington. But Manfredi will primarily stay in his own Tulsa HQ as Washington embarks on his Texas enterprise.
“As much as ‘Tulsa King’ is Dwight Manfredi’s show, ‘Frisco King’ is Russell Washington’s show,” says Voros.
The series written by Sheridan was originally titled “NOLA King,” and Washington does visit his hometown of New Orleans in the new series. But Sheridan changed the title and main location to burgeoning Frisco.
“There are plenty of gangsters and hustlers in New Orleans,” says Voros, who holds back on detailing Washington’s business dealings. “It’s fun to see someone comfortable in a New Orleans world, and have them forced to break new ground in a community that is new, clean and bright.”
It’s the same way that New Yorker Manfredi landed in Tulsa. “He was like a fox in the henhouse,” says Voros. “Frisco is a similar target.”
The Texas setting allows for the use of Sheridan’s massive Fort Worth production hub, a sprawling studio complex that has become a base for his growing slate of TV series. The location allows “Frisco King” to venture out to key Texas locations, including around the real Frisco.
Jackson plays up his trademark screen mischief and charisma for Washington. But it’s still a daunting task for a young cast to work with the film legend who comes in ready and is known for some power characters.
“I’ve said this to all of them, ‘My heart goes out to you when you show up to set to do an eight-page dialogue scene with Sam Jackson,'” says Voros. “But he elevates everyone to their A-game. There’s a playfulness to this show, even in the danger, even though the stakes are high.”