Sylvester Stallone has been a part of numerous franchises and movies, but he is best known for the iconic character of Rocky Balboa. His creation, the Rocky franchise became one of the most successful movies ever, and he even started the hit spin-off series Creed.
Despite the popularity, Sylvester Stallone does not own any stake in the Rocky and Creed franchises because of an infamous deal with the producers way back before the first film came out. Years later, as Stallone has advocated for ownership rights for his Oscar-winning franchise, his co-star Dolph Lundgren has spoken up to express his support.
Sylvester Stallone’s Co-Star Backs HIm In Ownership Dispute
In 1976, Sylvester Stallone became the face of cinema when he wrote and starred in the blockbuster Rocky film, which went on to earn multiple Oscar nominations and awards. Despite being synonymous with the character, the Guardians of the Galaxy star does not own any right whatsoever in the franchise. This was because of an unfair deal by the producer Irwin Winkler who took over all the ownership rights from Stallone over the promise of backing him as the lead in the film.
As Sylvester Stallone continues to get ownership rights for the film, his Rocky IV co-star Dolph Lundgren backed him up in his Instagram post as well as denied the news that a Drago spin-off will be taking place.
“Just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spin-off. There’s no approved script, no deals in place, no director, and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor. There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr Balboa – just so all the fans can relax…There ya go.”
Lundgren’s support means a lot in this dispute of ownership battle between Sylvester Stallone and Irwin Winkler.
Sylvester Stallone Believes Hollywood Stabbed Him In The Chest
Sylvester Stallone was struggling professionally, mentally, and financially when he had the idea of Rocky. In just three days he had finished writing the script of his Oscar-winning film Rocky. However, due to his naivety and unawareness of the procedures, he ended up giving all ownership rights to the film’s producers, in now what he and his fans call an unfair deal. In an interview, the Rambo star called the experiences equal to being stabbed in the chest.
“‘Rocky’ is on TV around the world more than any other Oscar-winning film other than ‘Godfather.’ You have six of them, and now you have ‘Creed’ and ‘Creed II.’ I love the system — don’t get me wrong. My kids and their kids, they’re taken care of because of the system. But there are dark little segues and people that have put it to ya. They say the definition of Hollywood is someone who stabs you in the chest. They don’t even hide it.”
While there has not been any legal action taken yet, we hope the dispute gets resolved as soon as possible.
Rocky is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Source: The Digital Fix
