As part of A+E Networks’ suite of upfront announcements, History said it is teaming with Sylvester Stallone to develop the drama series The Tenderloin (working title).

The show comes from A+E Studios in association with Balboa Productions. Stallone, who has seen a career resurgence in recent years thanks to the Creed extensions of the Rocky saga, will executive produce and direct multiple episodes. Stephen Kay, whose credits include Sons of Anarchy and The Shield, is set to write the pilot.

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The Tenderloin is based on the true story of Charles Becker. A New York cop at the turn of the century, Becker led the Strong-Arm Squad, tasked with going to war with the Italian, Jewish and Irish gangs in a violent New York City neighborhood called The Tenderloin. As the official logline has it: Becker and his squad were dirty cops but at the same time tried to impose order in a city controlled by gangs and Tammany Hall.

After some dramatic developments, Becker wound up the first and only policeman in U.S. history to be executed for murder.

“Long before Miranda Rights or the fictional series The Shield, there was the very real Charles Becker, a police officer living by his own moral code,” History EVP and Head of Programming Eli Lehrer said. “This is a passion project for Sylvester, who has discovered new facts on Becker’s case that shed new light on this infamous anti-hero. We look forward to joining forces with him to bring this incredible story to History audiences.”

The Tenderloin is an A+E Studios production in association with Balboa Productions. Stallone, Kay and Braden Aftergood (Hell or High Water) executive produce. Barry Jossen serves as executive producer for A+E Studios.