Sylvester Stallone sues ‘Rocky’ producer again over ‘Drago’ spinoff

Sylvester Stallone has doubled down on his criticism of the direction of the “Rocky” franchise and expressed frustration with the newly announced spin-off film “Drago”.

The actor shared his disappointment in a post on Instagram on Saturday. Although Stallone does not name anyone in his letter, the star mentions a “94-year-old producer,” a description that appears to refer to “Rocky” series producer Irwin Winkler. Winkler, who is actually 91 years old, had previously been criticized for Stallone.

“Another heartthrob… just found this out… ONCE AGAIN that DECLAIMERING 94 year old PRODUCER and HIS MORONIC USELESS VULTURE KIDS, Charles and David, are once again picking THE BONES of another wonderful character I’ve created without even telling myself” , wrote Stallone . “I APOLOGIZE to the FANS, I never wanted ROCKY characters to be taken advantage of by these parasites.”

Stallone also acknowledged his relationship with actor Dolph Lundgren, who portrays Soviet boxing champion Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV” and “Creed II.” Lundgren will reprise his role in the Drago spin-off.

“By the way, I have nothing but respect for Dolph, but I wish HE would have told me what’s going on behind my back,” Stallone concluded. “Keep your REAL friends close.”

Stallone spoke out against Winkler earlier this month, sharing a portrait of the producer drawn as a snake. The actor has expressed frustration at being denied a role in the “Rocky” franchise.

“Having controlled ‘Rocky’ and now ‘Creed’ for over 47 years, Irwin would really like to have at least a little bit of it [of] WHAT REMAINS of my rights before I give them ONLY TO YOUR CHILDREN,” Stallone wrote at the time.

2019, diversity reported that Winkler was surprised to learn that Stallone was unhappy with his share of the franchise, pointing to the tens of millions of dollars he received in profit sharing and upfront payments.

“I have no ownership of ‘Rocky,'” Stallone said diversity In 2019, he shared that some kind of annuity that could be left to his children after his death was something he wished for. “It was shocking that it never happened, but I was told, ‘Hey, you got paid, so what are you complaining about?’ I was angry.”

The 1976 original “Rocky” was conceived, written and starred by Stallone, who later received Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. “Rocky” took home statuettes for Best Picture, Director and Film Editing at the 49th Academy Awards. “Rocky IV”, adapted from Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, was written and directed by Stallone.