• Sylvester Stallone will executive produce a TV adaptation of Blood Aces, the book about Texas gambler Benny Binion.
  • Cole Hauser will star as Binion and co-produce the series.
  • The project draws on Doug J. Swanson’s 2014 book and names him co-executive producer.
  • Production timeline and filming locations have not been announced.

Stallone, Hauser to adapt ‘Blood Aces’

Sylvester Stallone and Cole Hauser have teamed up to turn Doug J. Swanson’s 2014 book Blood Aces into a television series titled Blood Aces. Deadline first reported the collaboration; Stallone is attached as executive producer and Hauser will star as North Texas–born gambling boss Lester “Benny” Binion and serve as a producer.

Stallone called Binion “a New West icon” and said the story connects “many worlds, some glamorous, some dangerous, some shady, but all intriguing.” Hauser described Binion as “one of the great Western American characters,” praising his ambition, vision and controversial legacy.

(Read the Deadline report: https://deadline.com/2026/02/blood-aces-tv-series-sylvester-stallone-cole-hauser-in-works-1236706491)

Who was Benny Binion?

Lester “Benny” Binion rose from an illicit Dallas gambling operation in the 1930s to become a central figure in Las Vegas gambling. Binion moved his family to Nevada in the late 1940s where he founded the Horseshoe casino and launched the World Series of Poker, shaping modern poker culture.

Binion’s life mixed business acumen with violence and controversy. He faced accusations tied to bombings and shootings of rivals, and in 1953 he was sentenced for tax evasion. He died in 1989 at age 85.

For background on Binion and Swanson’s reporting, see the New York Times feature on the book: https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/11/an-unusual-gangster-doug-j-swanson-talks-about-benny-binion/

Production status and creative team

Swanson, who spent decades as an investigative reporter at The Dallas Morning News, will be involved as a co-executive producer and consultant on factual matters. His book blood-aces chronicles Binion’s rise and provides the source material for the series.

So far, neither Stallone nor Hauser have announced a production timetable or confirmed filming locations. Both actors have recent ties to projects created by Taylor Sheridan: Hauser appears as Rip Wheeler on Yellowstone and will reprise the role in the upcoming spin-off Dutton Ranch; Stallone stars as Dwight Manfredi in Tulsa King.

Industry watchers expect the project to attract interest given the combination of a well-known true-crime subject, an established book source, and the high-profile names attached.

What to expect next

Details such as a network or streamer, script status, casting beyond Hauser, and a production start date remain unconfirmed. Fans of crime dramas, Western-tinged crime stories and poker history should watch for official announcements and casting updates.

Read more via Deadline and the original book review in The Dallas Morning News.

Image Referance: https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/tv/2026/02/11/sylvester-stallone-cole-hauser-to-create-tv-series-about-famed-texas-gambler/