With over $1.4 billion in box office receipts, the Rocky film franchise stands as one of the all-time greatest. Beginning with the 1976 flick (Rocky), its commercial and critical success not only kicked off Sylvester Stallone’s career but also became a cultural phenomenon.
The movie even led to several sequels and received three Academy Award wins out of ten nominations. Even though the majority of people have seen the inspirational story of Rocky Balboa on the big screen, very few are aware of how it was made. It may surprise many to learn that the 77-year-old actor wrote the first ninety pages of a 1976 sports drama film in just three days. Certainly, it is among the most motivational Hollywood tales ever told.
Sylvester Stallone Completed a 90-Page First Draft Of Rocky In Just Three Days?
In an interview with Michael Watson (via Forbes), to celebrate Rocky’s 25th anniversary, the writer and star of the film, Sylvester Stallone, revealed that he completed a ninety-page screenplay in just three days. However, just because he had this first draft did not mean it was the one that would go on to be screened globally. In actuality, the film only included roughly one-third of the original script. Still, he managed to complete the most challenging step in the creative process: the beginning.
“This is one of those things when you just roll the dice and fly by the proverbial seat of your pants, and you just say, ‘I’ve got to try it. I’ve just got to do it. I may be totally wrong, and I’m going to take a lot of people down with me, but I just believe in it.”
As the highest-grossing film of 1976, Rocky brought in over $225 million in total revenue worldwide. In addition to being praised for Stallone’s writing, the film was the recipient of ten Academy Award nominations, taking home three of them.
Rocky’s story is one of the most inspirational ones out there, so many people were surprised to see he wrote it so early. Nevertheless, Stallone later talked about his writing process and how he completed the first draft in just 72 hours.
Rocky: Sylvester Stallone Shared Insights Into His Writing Process
Over a year ago, Sylvester Stallone, 77, made an appearance on his daughters Sistine and Sophia Stallone’s Unwaxed podcast. Additionally, one of his segments—in which The Expendables actor discussed his routine during Rocky’s writing session—has gone viral online. He answered the following when asked about it during their conversation:
“Yeah I did paint them black because I don’t want to know what time it is, it didn’t matter what time it was.”
The Rambo actor considered it a diversion every time he realized it was time for breakfast or something else. In his explanation, Stallone went on to say the following:
“I was trying to eliminate all the excuses because it’s hard to write. You’re looking for any reason, please, someone call. That’s why I took the phone out. But writing, I’ll tell you right now, is a miserable means of existence. It is terrible.”
It won’t be wrong to say that Rocky’s success in 1976 helped Stallone find his footing in Hollywood. During an interview with WSJ Magazine, the actor talked about his “truly horrible” initial draft of the first Rocky film and how he came to write it:
“If I had made it like I wished early on in my career, I never would have turned to writing. I did that to fill time and to feel creative, even though the writing was truly horrible. It wasn’t even birdcage-worthy. You know what I mean? It’s not even worth lining a birdcage with. I just started to identify with the fact that he had almost zero recognition in his own lifetime.”
No matter how much it taxed Stallone, he finished the script in a matter of days, despite his exhaustion. Stallone was able to give Rocky a character that has endured and become a cultural icon for many generations by giving him everything he had.
John G. Avildsen directed the first film of the franchise, which was followed by Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, and Rocky Balboa.
Stream Rocky on Max.
