Sylvester Stallone delivered one of the hallmarks of American cinema when he starred in Rocky and its subsequent sequels. Stallone went on to make 5 more films after the original film was released, also coming back for the soft reboot of the franchise with Ryan Coogler’s Creed
However, the actor has since left the franchise, with Creed III marking the first instance of a film not featuring the actor. While the future of the franchise with the actor is uncertain, the films that the actor did make were not in the cards either at one point.
Sylvester Stallone’s last appearance was supposed to be Rocky III
Rocky, was originally supposed to be a trilogy, closing out the entire franchise with Rocky III. Released in 1982, the film was supposed to be the last entry in the franchise, up until the box office collection of the movie came in. Against a budget of $17 million, the film, much like its predecessors, ended up grossing more than $100 million, according to the Numbers making it one of the most lucrative films that the industry had made at the time.
The fourth Rocky film focused more on the training of the character and the fights in general, rather than going all out with emotional story beats outside of boxing as the previous films had done. Sylvester Stallone stopped the franchise after Rocky VI due to the severe lack of fresh ideas. However, once the focus shifted to the next generation of boxers, Stallone was happy to return to the franchise as a mentor to Michael B Jordan’s Adonis Creed.
Sylvester Stallone might not return to Creed ever again
Stallone exited the franchise after appearing in Creed and Creed II. the actor’s main contention was the fact that the film was taking its protagonist to a dark place, something he did not agree with. Speaking to The People about his exit from the franchise, the actor said:
“That’s a regretful situation because I know what it could have been. It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it.”
This was the problem cited by the actor for his exit from the film, it remains unclear whether the Rocky star will return to the franchise, even if the producers agree to align with Stallone’s vision for the character of Adonis Creed. Perhaps the actor would be happy to return to the franchise if a fresh character with a lighter storyline is introduced as the protagonist.
Also Read: Sylvester Stallone Was a Nervous Wreck After Most of the Audience Left During Rocky Screening
