Sophia Michaels
Sylvester Stallone has been the face of the Rocky and Creed franchises since their beginnings, playing the beloved Philly boxer Rocky Balboa. However, the latest installment of the series, “Creed 3,” marks the first movie in the franchise that Stallone is not a part of. Michael B. Jordan stars as Adonis “Donnie” Creed and also serves as the film’s director. Stallone has been open about why he chose not to join the new movie.
Stallone first announced that he wouldn’t be in “Creed 3” in 2021 on Instagram, but didn’t explain why. It appears that his decision was influenced by his conflict with the franchise’s producer Irwin Winkler. In a 2019 interview with Variety, Stallone revealed that he felt he was robbed of the rights for “Rocky” — which he wrote the original screenplay for — and that he has no ownership stake in it, despite making money from the franchise. He believes he deserves much more. Stallone expressed his anger on Instagram in 2022 after The Wrap reported that a spinoff movie about Viktor Drago and his father Ivan Drago was in the works. He said he was “furious” to realize that he wasn’t paid enough and that he would not be able to pass down ownership rights to his own children.
Stallone also told The Hollywood Reporter that his decision not to return for the third installment was due to his issues with rights and with the film’s content. He said he wanted to keep his heroes from going into a dark space, which is different from what Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan wanted for the movie. Stallone is still credited as a producer on “Creed 3.”
Despite not appearing in “Creed 3,” Stallone has left the door open for a return to the franchise. In March 2021, he posted on Instagram that he was working on a treatment for a “Rocky” prequel series. Jordan also said that there is always space for Rocky to come back, as it would make sense in any storyline.
“Creed III” is now in theaters.
