Hardly any film series is as closely linked to its star as Rocky. Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplays for the first six parts, directed two films and also played a supporting role in the spin-offs Creed 1 and 2 after the end of the main series. Michael B. Jordan took over as the son of the Rocky opponent Apollo Creed central part
Creed III, the ninth part of the Rocky franchise, started on March 2nd. Sylvester Stallone no longer has anything to do with the spin-off, not as an actor, not as a director, not as a writer. Only an insignificant producer title remained to him. It is one A turning point in the Rocky saga: The series has ejected its creator. A small war rages between Stallone and the owner of the brand. How come? And is there still a way back for Stallone?
Written from the Storyline: What Happens to Rocky in Creed 3
Creed 3 follows the events of Creed 2 directly. Adonis “Donnie” Creed (Michael B. Jordan) had defeated Ivan Drago’s son (Florian Munteanu) in Russia with Rocky’s support. Rocky, in turn, had traveled to Canada to reconnect with his estranged son. In the sequel, Donnie is about to end his career, we experience his supposedly last fight. The arrival of childhood friend Damian (Jonathan Majors) thwarts retirement plans.
Creed III – Trailer 2 (German) HD
In all of these events Rocky doesn’t matter. For some reason, neither Donnie nor Donnie’s wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) nor Tony’s (Wood Harris) boxing coaching staff talk about the person who had such a big impact on their lives. In Germany, Creed 3 still has the subtitle “Rocky’s Legacy”, but the legendary boxer was written from the plot of his own series. We don’t find out how he’s doing, whether he stayed with his family in Canada, whether the cancer from Creed 1 may have returned.
Such a step is extremely unusual. However, it was not unexpected.
Which led to Rocky being booted out in Creed 3
Sylvester Stallone created the character of the Philadelphia street boxer in the 70’s. The screenplay for Rocky was nominated for an Oscar in 1977, followed by five direct sequels and finally the Creed spin-offs. Rocky is a global brand of cinema. But Stallone has none of that. Although he is the creator of the character, he does not own any rights to it. Why?
Prior to the release of the first Rocky film, Stallone sold the rights to eventual producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff. The latter died in 2015. And now it’s getting a little complicated: The original Rocky deal Stallone refused a long-term equity interest in the franchise. He could have passed it on to his children after his death, writes Variety. Without the involvement, Stallone and his family are legally outsiders.
MGM
Rocky and Credd
Stallone still has no say in the Rocky franchise today – his creative influence on the origin of the series is irrelevant. Instead, Winkler’s sons Charles and David most recently served as producers. Winkler is inheriting the Stallone family property – that’s how the action star sees things and it nagged at him for years. In the summer of 2022, Stallone’s frustration and anger at Irwin Winkler erupted.
“Parasite”: The feud between Stallone and Irwin Winkler escalates
In an Instagram post, Stallone insulted the Rocky owner and his children, among other things “untalented” and “parasitic”. He would have “I’d really like to get at least a little bit of my rights back before you even give it to your kids.”
The conflict between rights holders and creators continued to smolder. As if in a show of force, the development of a spin-off about Soviet Rocky rival Drago was announced. Stallone learned about this from the press. His collar burst: “Again, that ridiculous 94-year-old producer and his idiot useless vulture kids are gnawing […] on the bones of another wonderful character I created without even telling myself.”
The star had finally lost control of his character. All he had to do was apologize to the fans, which he felt was necessary:
I never wanted the Rocky characters to be exploited by these parasites. I have nothing but respect for [Drago-Darsteller] Dolph [Lundgren]but I wish he’d told me what’s going on behind my back.
MGM, the studio developing the Drago film, has not commented on the conflict.
No way back: How Sylvester Stallone deals with the dispute
Stallone has since spoken out with Dolph Lundgren, he said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. There is no bad blood between Michael B. Jordan, who first directed Creed III, and Stallone. The MGM studio also always excluded Stallone from his attacks. He’s only in the ring with one person: Irwin Winkler. However, he has the upper hand and isolated Stallone successful.
“It’s the classic case of them going around trying to cherry-pick the ‘Rocky’ series without even asking me to be a part of it.”. For Stallone, this is a seemingly unbearable situation from which he cannot extricate himself. He has not taken any legal action so far, and the chances of success are slim.
Creed III – Trailer (German) HD
Although there was an offer rocky 7 to turn. However, Stallone would only have agreed in exchange for part of the rights. which was rejected. The Winkler side is apparently not willing to make compromises, a gentle concession. Wínkler and his sons keep a low profile. And as long as that’s the case, Stallone’s return to the franchise is out of the question. In any case, Stallone’s insults are unlikely to change the attitude of the Winklers. “You cannot make peace with someone who has behaved so shamefully”said the star in a radio interview , in which he comes across as someone who has already thrown in the towel.
Sylvester Stallone doesn’t want to see the new movie, Creed 3. Creed 4 has now been announced – without Stallone’s participation. In the Rocky films, the boxer gets up again after every hit, no matter how hard. The fight for what is probably his most important film series will probably end with a heavy defeat for Stallone.
*. . .