Sylvester Stallone's 105-minute crime epic still tops his action movies, 29 years later

Here’s one from the ‘I genuinely didn’t see that coming’ files: Cop Land—the 1997 crime drama that gave Sylvester Stallone his most human role—now has a TV series in the works. Yes, that’s the same Cop Land where Sly parked the action hero routine and played a small-town sheriff surrounded by dodgy NYPD officers, with a supporting cast that included Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, and Ray Liotta. Nearly thirty years on, the film’s legacy is getting rebooted… and for once, I’m not mad about it.

James Mangold is developing a Cop Land TV series for Paramount Television Studios and Miramax Television, with Robert Levine set as co-writer and showrunner.

The Film: Sly’s Best Acting, Not His Best Biceps

If you’ve mostly seen Stallone punching things (or people) as Rocky or Rambo, Cop Land genuinely surprises. Written and directed by James Mangold—who’s since made Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and more—the film moves away from endless gunfights and focuses on corrosive small-town power. The setup: Garrison, New Jersey, is loaded with NYPD officers who live just outside the city, using suburbia as a private enclave. Stallone’s Freddy Heflin is the soft-spoken, hearing-impaired local sheriff, more mascot than lawman. His admiration for Lieutenant Ray Donlan (Keitel) keeps him under the thumb of Garrison’s police clique, who know Freddy's not about to rock the boat… at least, at first.

Trouble kicks off when Ray’s nephew, Murray 'Superboy' Babitch (Michael Rapaport), is involved in a questionable shooting. Cue full-blown cover-up, with Freddy stuck in the middle. Moe Tilden (De Niro) from Internal Affairs starts turning up the heat, while Ray Liotta’s Gary Figgsy Figgis, another cop with his own baggage, nudges Freddy towards reality. The corruption isn’t just a ‘bad apple’ problem, either: the rot runs through the whole town, and Mangold’s script makes sure you feel it.

The real shock: Stallone gained about forty pounds for the role and ditches the indestructible hero act. Freddy’s a man who’s spent his life waiting on broken promises, not an idiot, but hardly blameless either. Watching him wake up to his own failings is the heart of the story, and for once, Sly’s not chewing scenery—he’s building something honest, awkward, and quietly devastating.

Cop Land’s release in 1997 marked a rare moment where Sylvester Stallone took on a part that required more vulnerability than violence.

The film didn’t break any box office records but pulled a healthy 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes and won plenty of critical respect. Still, nobody talks about it the way they do Rocky or First Blood—which is a shame, because it’s probably Stallone’s best work when he’s not swinging his fists at someone twice his size.

Cop Land: The Series

Fast forward to 2026, and Cop Land is heading to television. Mangold’s back in charge, co-writing and directing, but this time he’s teamed up with Robert Levine (who did The Old Man and Black Sails) as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. The show is coming out of Paramount Television Studios and Miramax Television.

• James Mangold: Co-writer, director, executive producer
• Robert Levine: Co-writer, executive producer, showrunner
• Studios: Paramount Television Studios, Miramax Television
• Cast: Nobody announced—yet
• Release date: Unknown, still in early stages

No word on casting or a premiere date. With Stallone already front-and-centre for Paramount+ in Tulsa King, a cameo or full-blown return isn’t impossible—but there’s nothing on paper to suggest it’ll happen. How the series balances the original’s moral complexity with episodic TV remains to be seen, but there’s plenty of material in Garrison’s dirty politics to stretch for a few seasons if they don’t muck it up with too much melodrama.

Until the new version emerges, Stallone’s turn as Freddy Heflin stands as probably the most underrated entry in his entire filmography. No guns blazing, just a quietly broken man in a town where nobody’s hands are clean.