Well here’s a slightly unexpected development for the Italian Stallion. It appears that Sylvester Stallone’s next movie will not be The Expendables 2, nor will it even be a movie that he is directing himself. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he has signed on to star in Headshot, a new action flick from director Wayne Kramer (The Cooler, Running Scared). After five years of taking his career into his own hands in order to mount an impressive comeback, Sly is now officially back on Hollywood’s radar again. The movie starts shooting in May, and is based on a script by Alessandro Camon (The Messenger). Read on for more details including a brief plot synopsis.

Stallone will tread somewhat familiar ground as he plays a New Orleans hitman who teams up with a younger New York City detective in order to investigate a pair of murders. Their investigation takes them “from the dingy back alleys of New Orleans all the way to the power corridors of Washington, D.C.” where they will “take on all who stand in their way.” I like the sound of that. No word yet on who will play the younger character, but I’m putting my money on Chris Pine.

Although I’m not that familiar with Wayne Kramer’s work, he actually seems to be on the same wavelength as Stallone when it comes to no-nonsense action (not counting his most recent film, the Harrison Ford immigration drama Crossing Over, that is). Last we heard, he was one of the possible contenders to direct the Kane & Lynch movie, but doesn’t appear to be in the running anymore. What do you think, could this be a decent partnership and a good move for Stallone? Or is it just time that would be better spent working on The Expendables sequel?