Sylvester Stallone To Star, Antoine Fuqua To Direct TV Event Series Adaptation Of Mario Puzo’s ‘Omerta’

Sylvester Stallone Antoine FuquaHere’s an interesting piece of trivia. Way back in the day, Sylvester Stallone auditioned for the roles of Paulie Gatto and Carlo Rizzi in "The Godfather." He didn’t get either part, and four years after Francis Ford Coppola‘s masterpiece was released, Stallone would swing into stardom with "Rocky." But it’s funny how life works because four decades later, the actor is getting another shot at material from Mario Puzo.

READ MORE: HBO Now Airing 7.5-Hour ‘The Godfather Epic’ Featuring Unseen Footage, Cut Together Chronologically 

Stallone has signed up to star in a TV event series adaptation of "Omerta," based on Puzo’s posthumously published book. Antoine Fuqua will direct the tale that centers on Don Raymonde Aprile (played by Stallone), who decides to go legit and retire, only to wind up getting whacked, leaving his adopted son to avenge his death. Here’s the book synopsis: 

To Don Raymonde Aprile’s children he was a loyal family member, their father’s adopted "nephew." To the FBI he was a man who would rather ride his horses than do Mob business. No one knew why Aprile, the last great American Don, had adopted Astorre Viola many years before in Sicily; no one suspected how he had carefully trained him . . . and how, while the Don’s children claimed respectable careers in America, Astorre Viola waited for his time to come.
Now his time has arrived. The Don is dead, his murder one bloody act in a drama of ambition and deceit–from the deadly compromises made by an FBI agent to the greed of two crooked NYPD detectives and the frightening plans of a South American mob kingpin. In a collision of enemies and lovers, betrayers and loyal soldiers, Astorre Viola will claim his destiny. Because after all these years, this moment is in his blood…

The pilot script is ready, the writers room is being assembled, and "Omerta" — which is being backed by The Weinstein Company — will soon to be out for networks to bite at. The book wasn’t well received when it was published, but the core concept is strong, and certainly, this is a chance to make it work. [Deadline]