Sylvester Stallone’s career began under the unlikeliest circumstances giving rise to a story that is reminiscent of a pauper to a prince, and that too overnight. After a life defined by struggle, pain, and unending hardships, Stallone’s resolution to see an end to the fight rose when he saw his life as the maker of stories.
With the great Chuck Wepner as his muse, Sly sat down to pen an epic and unbelievable saga of Rocky against Creed and a chance to prove himself worthy after a life of slaving away as the underdog.
Sylvester Stallone Grapples With Fame and Tragedy
After almost half a century of hardships paving the path to his storied success, Sylvester Stallone suddenly and finally found the recognition he searched for, rising out of the ranks of anonymity to join the Oscar-winning elite in the greatest industry of the world. Much like the underdog story of his character, Rocky Balboa, he found a story where he was the hero and in his audience’s collective chants, he found immortality.
But all of the grandeur and the blinding, glittering halls decked with glory would not be enough to hold back the harsh, mindless, and sudden brutality of reality that would shroud his life 36 years after Stallone debuted with one of the greatest sports films of all time. On July 13, 2012, Sylvester Stallone’s son, Sage Stallone passed away due to a sudden cardiac arrest at his Hollywood home — he was 36 at the time.
Marvel Director Ryan Coogler Saves the Rocky Franchise
Born in the year Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky premiered in Hollywood, Sage Stallone’s death in 2012 unraveled the actor after the unexpected tragedy stunned him into a stupor. The spin-off production, Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan was about to enter pre-production the very same year – a film that he was apprehensive about returning to in the first place saying,
“I was so happy with ‘Rocky Balboa’ (2006) and the conclusion of Rocky’s story that I thought, ‘We don’t need to go any further with it.’”
But Stallone did agree after director Ryan Coogler’s unyielding persistence. After the tragedy of his son’s death sent him into a full breakdown, Coogler yet against succeeded in shaking Sly out of the stupor by asking him to use the film as an ode to his late son. Focusing on the paternal bond that he develops with Adonis Creed in the film eventually helped Stallone navigate through his grief and process the trauma of losing Sage Stallone, a fact that he eventually regaled at the Golden Globes after winning Best Supporting Actor for Creed – “I wanted to respect his memory and I think we did.”
The actor returned for the sequel in 2018 but stepped away from the third installment due to his ongoing battle over Rocky’s rights with franchise producer, Irwin Winkler.
Creed (2015) is now available for streaming on Apple TV.
Source: IMDb
