Sylvester Stallone has more to say about the rocky franchise in light of MGM developing a film spin-off centered on Ivan Drago.
Stallone — who wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-winning 1976 rockyin which he starred as boxer Rocky Balboa — nam Instagram on Saturday to criticize the planned film drago that is being written by Robert Lawton, as first reported this week by the cover. While Stallone didn’t directly mention anyone in his last post, his mention of a “94-year-old producer” is a clear reference to Irwin Winkler, who is 91 and has production credit for all of the films in the film. rocky franchise, in addition to the subsequent Beliefs spin-off movies.
“Another Heartbreaker… I just discovered this… AGAIN, THE PATHETIC 94 YEAR-OLD PRODUCER and HIS SELF-USED CHILDREN are once again plucking what’s left of the bones of another wonderful character!!!” Stallone wrote about drago. “Seriously, how do weasels look in the mirror???”
The star continued: “I’m sorry to the FANS, I apologize to the FANS that I never wanted ROCKY to be exploited FOR THIS GREED.. # no shame #sad day #Parasite.”
drago is set to revisit Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren in 1985’s Rocky IV and later in 2018 Creed II. Lundgren had previously teased a potential spin-off movie in an interview in November 2021 of The Hollywood Reporter.
Stallone’s message follows his Instagram post from July 16 who criticized Winkler by name, referring to him as “Rocky and Creed’s remarkably untalented and parasitic producer.” The post also criticized Irwin’s son David Winkler, who is credited as a producer on the Beliefs movies, including the first 2015 movie starring Michael B. Jordan and Stallone earned an Oscar 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 involving the franchise. “I would love to [to] at least have a little bit of WHAT’S ABOUT OF MY RIGHTS before I pass it on to ONLY YOUR CHILDREN – I believe that would be an HONEST gesture,” Stallone wrote, pointing his vitriol at Irwin.
Both previous posts have since been deleted.
Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff are credited as the sole producers on the first five rocky movies. The 2006 franchise revives Rocky Balboa credits six producers, including David Winkler and Irwin’s other son, Charles Winkler.
The Beliefs movies revolve around Michael B. Jordan as the son of the late Apollo Creed, portrayed in the rocky Carl Weathers movies. Stallone and Irwin Winkler are both credited as producers on the Beliefs movies, like David and Charles, among others. Chartoff was first and foremost a producer Beliefs before his death in 2015.
Last month Stallone told: Subway that he had “bent” to appear in Creed III because the story changes direction, but that he supported the film. Creed IIIwhich hits theaters on March 3, 2023, counts Jordan as both director and star.
Rocky Balboa’s character 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 that he was ‘furious’ about this.
“Our commitment to him was that he could shine in it,” Winkler recalls The Hollywood Reporter in 1983 about making the first rocky with Chartoff. “We convinced United Artists to give us the money to make it. They only wanted to give us a limited amount, and they told us to put our houses as collateral. We really took a mortgage on ourselves to make sure we got it in on time, and we did.”
Representatives for Irwin Winkler and Stallone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.