Will Sylvester Stallone be part of the 'Drago' spin-off? Dolph Lundgren says he's talking to 'Rocky' star
Dolph Lundgren took to social media to clarify the recent controversy that's denting the 'Rocky' franchise. Per a Variety report, a 'Drago' spin-off movie was in the works with screenwriter Robert Lawton tapped in. This didn't go down well with Sylvester Stallone — the bonafide star and the face of the franchise as he slammed the announcement. However, in a recent report, Lundgren assured fans that he was in talks with his 'Expendables' star.
“Just to set the record straight regarding a possible ‘Drago’ spinoff. 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,” Lundgren wrote. “There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr. Balboa – just so all the fans can relax…There ya go.”
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'Creed II' starring Michael B Jordan and Stallone saw the return of Lundgren's Ivan Drago, who debuted in 'Rocky IV' and also saw Florian Munteanu play his son Viktor. With the spin-off movie announced, it was still unclear whether the duo would return. Earlier, Stallone slammed the move: “I APOLOGIZE to the FANS, I never wanted ROCKY characters to be exploited by these parasites,” Stallone wrote about the spinoff movie. “By the way, I have nothing but respect for Dolph but I wish HE had told me what was going on behind my back. Keep your REAL friends close.”
This comes after Stallone bashed 'Rocky' producer Irwin Winkler regarding the legendary movie franchise's ownership. Per the New York Post, the 76-year-old didn't pull his punches as he posted an illustration of Winkler on the gram (the post appears to be deleted) and captioned it, “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.”
He added, “Before passing it on to ONLY YOUR CHILDREN, I believe that would be a FAIR gesture from this [93-year-old] gentleman?” 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." In the meantime, Lawton, in his statement, said he was humbled and grateful for the opportunity. Up next from the franchise is the Jordan-directed 'Creed III' slated to release March 3, 2023.