Sylvester Stallone has more to say about the Rocky franchise in light of MGM developing a spinoff film centered around Ivan Drago.
Stallone, who wrote the screenplay for 1976’s Oscar-winning Rocky, in which he played boxer Rocky Balboa, took to Instagram on Saturday to criticize the planned Drago movie, which is being written by Robert Lawton, as first reported time this week The Wrap. While Stallone didn’t directly name anyone in his latest message, his mention of a “94-year-old producer” is an apparent reference to Irwin Winkler, who is 91 and has a production credit on every film. films of the Rocky franchise. in addition to the subsequent Creed spin-off films.
“Another heartbreaker… I just found out… ONCE AGAIN THE PATHETIC 94 YEAR OLD PRODUCER & HIS SELFISH USELESS SONS are picking what’s left of the bones of another wonderful character again!!!” Stallone wrote about Drago. “Seriously, how do weasels look in the mirror?”
The star continued: “SORRY TO THE FANS, I APOLOGIZE TO THE FANS. I never meant for ROCKY to be exploited FOR THIS GREED… #noshame #sadday #Parasite.”
Drago will revisit Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren in 1985’s Rocky IV and later in 2018’s Creed II. Lundgren previously teased a possible spinoff film in a November 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Stallone’s message follows his July 16 Instagram post that criticized Winkler by name, referring to him as “the remarkably untalented, parasitic producer of Rocky and Creed.” The publication also criticized Irwin’s son David Winkler, who is credited as a producer on the Creed films, including the first film in 2015 starring Michael B. Jordan and winning over Stallone an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for reprising his role as Balboa.
In a follow-up post on July 17, Stallone wrote that he was upset about an ownership dispute related to the franchise. “I would really like to [to] take back at least a little of WHAT IS REMAINING of my RIGHTS, before passing it on ONLY TO YOUR CHILDREN – I think that would be a FAIR gesture,” Stallone wrote, directing his vitriol at Irwin.
The two previous posts have since been deleted.
Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff are the sole producers of the first five Rocky films. 2006’s Rocky Balboa, which revived the franchise, credits six producers, including David Winkler and Irwin’s other son, Charles Winkler.
The Creed films focus on Michael B. Jordan as the son of the late Apollo Creed, played in the Rocky films by Carl Weathers. Stallone and Irwin Winkler are credited as producers on the Creed films, such as David and Charles, among others. Chartoff was a producer on the first Creed before his death in 2015.
Last month, Stallone told Metro that he had “given up” appearing in Creed III because the story was changing direction, but that he supported the film. Set to hit theaters on March 3, 2023, Creed III features Jordan as director and star.
The character of Rocky Balboa originated with Stallone’s Rocky script in 1976, and his deal stipulated that he would play the title role. Stallone told Variety in 2019 that he had “zero ownership of Rocky” and was “furious” about it.
“Our commitment to him was that he could star in it,” Winkler recalled to The Hollywood Reporter in 1983 about making the first Rocky with Chartoff. “We talked United Artists into giving us the money to do it. They only gave us a limited amount of money and said we had to put up our houses as collateral. We actually mortgaged ourselves to make sure we got it to time and we did it.”
Representatives for Irwin Winkler and Stallone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.