Despite starring and writing Rocky, Sylvester Stallone does not hold the rights to the original 1976 film or any of its five sequels. On his Instagram, he called out Rocky and Creed producer Irwin Winkler, who has ownership, to give him a slice.
“After IRWIN controlling ROCKY for over 47 years, and now CREED, I really would like have at least a little WHAT’s LEFT of my RIGHTS back, before passing it on to ONLY YOUR CHILDREN – I believe That would be a FAIR gesture from this 93 year old gentleman,” he captioned.
The actor’s children are a driving motivation for the social media callout. Sylvester Stallone wants Rocky as something to leave for his children. He said it is a “painful subject” that “eats at my soul.”
The struggle Sylvester Stallone faces for Rocky rights
According to Variety, the actor has paid quite a chunk of cash for the films. He paid $75,000 for the screenplay along with his acting fees. To the outlet’s calculations, Rocky earned Sylvester Stallone at least $2.5 million.
Sylvester Stallone touched on the Rocky subject in the past. Initially, he did not bother due to the time’s “code of business conduct.” Over time, he made some attempts but was told he was already paid adequately. Now, things have become more contentious after calling out the producer.
The franchise went on for six mainline movies from 1976 to 2006. It was brought back with Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther). Sylvester Stallone reprised his role as Rocky for the new films. A third is coming later this year but will be the first in the franchise where the Rambo star will not appear. Meanwhile, Winkler will continue to produce.
Creed III will be Jordan’s directorial debut. Keenan and Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) will write with Zach Baylin (King Richard). Jordan, Ryan Coogler, William Chartoff, Jonathan Glickman, Nicholas Stern, Charles Winkler, David Winkler, and Irwin Winkler will produce. Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Adam Rosenberg will executive produce.
The third film will star Jordan, Tessa Thompson (Thor: Love and Thunder), Jonathan Majors (Da 5 Bloods), and Phylicia Rashad (Soul). The film will hit theaters on November 23rd.