Sly Stallone Might Be Working on New ‘Rocky’ Projects

Is Sylvester Stallone ready to step back into the ring as Rocky Balboa? Based on a new interview with the iconic actor, the answer appears to be yes. Speaking with Variety about his long career and the Rocky films in general, Stallone revealed that there are multiple Rocky-related projects in development.

After debuting in 1976 with Rocky and winning the Oscar for Best Picture, the character of Rocky Balboa and the Rocky series has earned over $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office, becoming an enduring and iconic story in American and worldwide cinema.

After starring in six Rocky-focused films, Stallone reprised his role as Balboa for the successful spinoff Creed ($173.6 million worldwide box office) and its sequel Creed 2, released in 2018. Those two films showed the box office power (Creed 2: $214.1 million worldwide) that the Rocky series still has, and earned Stallone an Oscar nomination in 2016 for the first Creed. Now, Stallone might be ready to return to that world again.

Stallone revealed to Variety that another Rocky movie is in development along with a Rocky prequel TV series. These projects are separate from any other Creed sequels, which have yet to be made official, although with the box office success of Creed 2, it’s likely another one of those films will also be made down the line. While Stallone appeared to signal that he’s finished with the Creed series after an Instagram post hinted at his retirement, he may not be done playing Rocky Balboa after all.

Here’s what we know so far about the Rocky-related projects:

A New Rocky Movie?: 

Stallone was asked about Rocky reappearing on the big screen again one day and answered: “There’s a good chance that ‘Rocky’ may ride again.”

What Would It Be About?: Stallone revealed the the plot of a potential movie, with the Variety piece describing it as a story about “the one-time boxing champ befriending a young street fighter living in the U.S. illegally.” Stallone said in the interview: “Rocky meets a young, angry person who got stuck in this country when he comes to see his sister. He takes him into his life, and unbelievable adventures begin, and they wind up south of the border. It’s very, very timely…Do you tell someone that you just met in the street who’s struggling and homeless to get out, or do you take him in? If you take him in, you’re in trouble.”

When Could the Movie Be Released?:

Stallone said that the studio is excited about the idea: “They want to go tomorrow,” he said, when asked about how close the movie is to happening.

Stallone’s Roles: Stallone has been behind the camera as director and writer for many of the Rocky films. This would be the case for the new one as well. “We’re very high on it,” said producer Irwin Winkler, who has worked on all of the Rocky and Creed films. Winkler noted that “negotiations are underway for Stallone to write and star in the film” and that the studio is “very anxious to make it.”

Streaming TV?:

With big stars working on TV more on shows on Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, Stallone and people involved in Rocky are also thinking about bringing it to the small screen. The TV prequel series would “likely for a streaming platform” and Stallone revealed that there have been “ongoing discussions” about the show.