Why Sylvester Stallone Doesn’t Have Any ‘Rocky’ Ownership

EXCLUSIVE: Sylvester Stallone has signed with CAA.

Wilson Chapman editorSylvester Stallone is synonymous with the character of Rocky Balboa, the scrappy underdog boxer who first brought him to the spotlight in the ’70s. But in recent years, Stallone has made it very clear that even though the films are inextricably linked with him, he’s not happy about the way the original deal was structured and thinks he should have received an ownership stake.On July 31, following the announcement of a “Rocky” spinoff film in development about the characters of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) and Viktor Drago (Viktor Drago), Stallone took to Instagram to express his frustrations about the direction of the expanding franchise, and particularly its longtime producer Irwin Winkler.

Dolph Lundgren has weighed in on the scrum around the announcement that a Rocky spinoff film called Drago is reportedly in the works at MGM. His message was essentially, “Keep me out of it.”

Lundgren posted on his Instagram page. “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.

Fighting for control. Sylvester Stallone slammed the upcoming Rocky spinoff centered on Dolph Lundgren‘s character, Drago, claiming that it was made without his knowledge or approval.

Last Thursday, news broke that MGM had a “Rocky” spin-off in the works: “Drago,” centered around the backstory of Rocky Balboa’s “Rocky IV” nemesis, Russian boxer Ivan Drago. For “Rocky” fans, that sounds promising.

Dolph Lundgren responded after Sylvester Stallone criticized him for attaching himself to the potential "Rocky" spinoff "Drago." Lundgren took to Instagram to clarify details of the spinoff after being called out. He revealed there is not an "approved script" for the project or a director.

Rocky spin-off Drago.As reported by TheWrap on Thursday (July 28), screenwriter Robert Lawton has penned a script for a spin-off film around Dolph Lundgren’s character Ivan Drago, who appeared in 1985’s Rocky IV and 2018’s Creed II.Stallone shared the report on Instagram on Sunday (July 31), where he criticised longtime Rocky producer Irwin Winkler and Lundgren for allegedly going “behind his back” in regards to the project.“Another Heartbreaker… Just found this out,” Stallone wrote. “ONCE AGAIN, IRWIN WINKLER, this PATHETIC 94 year old PRODUCER and HIS MORONIC VULTURE CHILDREN, Charles and David, are once again picking clean THE BONES of another wonderful character I created without even telling me.A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone)“I APOLOGISE to the FANS, I never wanted ROCKY characters to be exploited by these parasites… By the way, I once had nothing but respect for Dolph but he NEVER told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him!!! REAL FRIENDS are more precious than gold.”Stallone shared a second post where he called Winkler a “blood sucker” and “parasite producer”.In a post addressing Stallone’s remarks, Lundgren claimed he was “under the impression” that Stallone was involved in the project.“Just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spin-off,” Lundgren wrote.

Sylvester Stallone is once again taking aim at the producers behind the franchise, denouncing the upcoming spin-off film, and calling out Dolph Lundgren in the process.The famed actor took to Instagram over the weekend to drag Lundgren and producer Irwin Winkler by name for allegedly cutting him out of the universe. Stallone shared a gruesome photo to the social media platform that featured him as Rocky Balboa and Winkler edited to have vampire fangs with both of them covered in blood. In the photo's caption, Stallone pointedly wrote, «After IRWIN WINKLER And FAMILY SUCK ROCKY DRY! Presumed to be the most hated, untalented, decrepited, Producer in Hollywood and his cowardly children have found their next meal… Drago ?» A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone)The 76-year-old actor continued, «Throughout history so many artists in every industry ,recording, painting writing, you name it have been destroyed by these blood suckers Who have destroyed so many families, lining their pockets with other people work… #parasite producers #exploited artists victims.» In another post over the weekend, Stallone shared an article that teased  going to production and called out Lundgren for allegedly not reaching out about the film. He wrote, «By the way, I once had nothing but respect for Dolph but he NEVER told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him!!! REAL FRIENDS Are more precious than gold.» A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone)Addressing the allegations Sunday, Lundgren shared a photo of him with Stallone and claimed he did not know the  actor was not involved as well.

While not all is well in the world of the “Rocky” franchise—Sylvester Stallone is currently warring with producer Irwin Winkler, incensed that Winkler won’t give him back the rights to the character he created— the spin-off “Creed” franchise is seemingly pretty healthy. The sequel was successful enough for the studio to move forward with a third pic in the sports drama series.

J. Kim Murphy Sylvester Stallone has doubled down on his criticisms of the direction of the “Rocky” franchise, expressing his frustration regarding the newly announced spinoff film “Drago.”The actor shared his disappointment in a post on Instagram Saturday.

Sylvester Stallone is escalating his battle with “Rocky” producer Irwin Winkler over ownership of the characters he created by attacking the upcoming spin-off sequel “Drago”.

Sylvester Stallone has doubled down on his attack on Irwin Winkler and his family, accusing the original Rocky producer of “picking clean the BONES of another wonderful character I created without even telling me.”

#sad day #Parasite.”Stallone then went in for round two on Twitter, posting, “I’d like to congratulate Irwin Winkler and family beating another wonderful character into the ground! # no shame,” referring to the “Rocky” producer who took home an Oscar in 1976 when it won for Best Picture.TheWrap learned exclusively Friday that screenwriter Robert Lawton is set to write the “Rocky” spinoff “Drago” for MGM. Details about the plot are, naturally, being kept secret at the moment, but what we can tell you is that Russian fighter Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) will be at the center of the story.

"Rocky" fans could be in for a sweet surprise. According to Variety, a spinoff film "Drago" is in the works with MGM studios. Robert Lawton has reportedly been taken on to write the series.  The film will feature Ivan Drago, who took on Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) in the 1985 movie "Rocky IV." The character’s son, Viktor Drago, played by Florian Munteanu, appeared in "Creed II" in 2018 to take on Adonis Creed’s son.