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When Sylvester Stallone sprang the character of Rocky upon the movie scene back in 1976, a world in desperate need of a hero during those uncertain times immediately embraced the story of a down-on-his-luck pugilist fighting for the right to have his shot at the brass ring. It was a modern day fairy tale made good, all the more intriguing and exciting for audiences because of the intense autobiographical nature which writer and creator Stallone baked into it. It was a gamble on Stallone’s part, one which was championed by director John G. Avildsen (The Karate Kid) and producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler. Surprising to many, the bet paid off to the tune of box-office profit and Oscar gold and eventually saw the quirky one-on/one-off film turn into a genuine movie franchise, replete with many sequels and an eventual segue-way into the Creed series of movies. Now the father of the Rocky movies – Manhattan-born Stallone – is bringing to light a sad yet familiar wrinkle to this Hollywood fairy tale: The Italian Stallion is claiming that Winkler, now 93 years old, has withheld a sizeable portion of the financial stake in the Rocky and Creed series, denying him and his family a part of the legacy which he is largely responsible for.
According to our Crimes and Misdemeanors admirers over at Variety, Sylvester Stallone has some choice words for Rocky co-producer Irwin Winkler who he feels has laid an unfair claim to much of the money the franchise has generated in the past and which it continues to reap with even more chapters in the Creed saga in the pipeline.
In a tense Instagram post on Sunday, Stallone shared a doctored photograph of Winkler resembling a knife-tongued snake and implored the producing legend for what he calls a “fair gesture” regarding monies he feels owed to him from the Rocky juggernaut.
“A very flattering portrait of the great Rocky/Creed producer, Irwin Winkler, from one of the country’s greatest,” Stallone began in his statement. “After Irwin controlling Rocky for over 47 years, and now Creed, I really would like to have at least a little of 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?”
For his part, Winkler has maintained since 2019 that he is surprised that Stallone has any axe to grind with him regarding financial reward on the Rocky series of movies, pointing out that the star had received tens of millions of dollars for profit participation and upfront fees for the long-running franchise. Stallone sees it differently.
Concluding his Instagram message on Sunday, Stallone said that “This is a painful subject that eats at my soul, because I wanted to leave something of Rocky for my children, but it’s always great hearing from the loyal fans…Keep punching.”
The above dustup goes a long way in explaining Stallone’s apparent absence in the upcoming third Creed film, an absence which Creed producers had attributed to simply wanting to explore story possibilities that did not include the legendary Rocky Balboa. For many Rocky fans, a film series such as Creed that leans so heavily into that storied universe and does not include Stallone would be akin to The Beatles in 1970 releasing an album sans John Lennon; that dog don’t hunt.
We always hate to see such legendary figures as Sylvester Stallone and Irwin Winkler publically battling. Here’s to hoping that a fair compromise is reached among all parties that does not involve a TKO.
