Sylvester Stallone Reveals The Rocky 7 That Almost Happened
Sylvester Stallone revealed on Instagram his notes and some concept art for Rocky 7, the sequel he'll never get to make.
Fans of the now-franchise, Creed, are preparing for the showdown of the lifetime when Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors jump into the ring to throw some punches in early March with the release of Creed III and to further fire up fans, Sylvester Stallone recently let the cat out of the bag that Rocky 7 was almost a guaranteed knockout. In a lineup of photos, which you can see below, Sly shared several looks with his Instagram followers at what would’ve been the next installment in the Rocky franchise. Included in the selections is a piece of artwork, notebooks, and a few scribbled memos inside the pages, fleshing out what could have been.
In iconic fashion, Sylvester Stallone gave fans a look at the artwork that would have gone into Rocky 7 with a piece crafted by John Rivoli revealing the titular character in his fedora with his famous words “it ain’t over till it’s over” written in block letters at the bottom. Penned across the notebooks and pages shared in the behind-the-scenes shots, it’s clear that the never-made film would have taken an even more in-depth look at grief and the struggles that come along with it. Judging by one of the scenes laid out on the lined pages, it’s clear that Rocky is still mourning the death of his beloved wife Adrian (Talia Shire) from the restaurant that the boxing legend opened in her memory in Rocky Balboa.
The last we saw of Rocky Balboa, he was mentoring his late pal, Apollo Creed’s (Carl Weathers), son Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) in 2015’s Creed. Since the franchise has taken a new breath and now follows another legendary boxing family from the original story, Sylvester Stallone’s champion has taken a backseat. But, with this fresh walk down memory lane, audiences can still hold out hope that there’s always a chance Sylvester Stallone will don boxing gloves and take a swing at Rocky 7 down the road.
And, while Sylvester Stallone may not be filming or releasing Rocky 7, he’s still backing the Creed franchise and serving as a producer on the upcoming third installment. Landing in theaters on March 3, 2023, the Michael B. Jordan-directed and Ryan Coogler (The Black Panther franchise) and Keenan Coogler-penned (Space Jam: A New Legacy) Creed III will pick up with boxing champion Adonis Creed as he lives his knock-out life both in and outside of the ring. But, all that he holds dear will soon be challenged after his childhood friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) is released from prison and ready to prove that he’s the greatest fighter to ever live.
Along with Michael B. Jordan, plenty of familiar faces are back for round three with Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris, and Tony Bellew reprising their roles. Hot off the success of war drama Devotion and his big-screen Marvel debut as Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Jonathan Majors will add his name to the cast alongside other franchise newcomers including Selenis Leyva, Mila Davis-Kent, Thaddeus J. Mixson, and Canelo Álvarez. And, although Sylvester Stallone won’t be hitting us with a Rocky 7 one-two-punch, Creed III will also bring back the son of another franchise-famous fighter, Ivan Drago’s (Dolph Lundgren) kid, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu).
If you’ve ever wondered how the story would continue if Sylvester Stallone tied his shoes and ran up the steps to the Philadelphia Art Museum one more time, these Rocky 7 concept shots are the closest thing you may get. Check them out and prepare yourself for the next installment in the Rocky and Creed franchise, landing in theaters in just a few weeks.
