Sylvester Stallone has lashed out at producers behind Drago, the latest proposed spinoff from his hugely successful Rocky franchise.
In a post to Instagram, Stallone described plans to center a film around Rocky IV antagonist Ivan Drago as “another heartbreaker,” then set his sights squarely on producer Irwin Winkler. “Once again, Irwin Winkler, this pathetic 94 year old producer and his moronic vulture children, Charles and David, are once again picking clean the bones of another wonderful character I created without even telling me.”
“I apologize to the fans,” the actor continued. “I never wanted Rocky characters to be exploited by these parasites.”
Stallone also called out fellow star Dolph Lundgren, who played Drago in the 1985 classic, claiming the actor “never told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him.”
Lundgren responded in an Instagram post of his own, claiming he was “under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor” in any potential Drago film.
This is the latest chapter in an ongoing battle between Stallone and Winkler. The actor — who wrote and starred in the first six Rocky films and later appeared in the Creed spin-offs — has long argued that his deal with Winkler on the Rocky films was unjust and gave him minimal rights to a franchise he created.
In a follow-up post, Stallone continued railing against Winkler, presenting photoshopped images of the producer sucking blood from Rocky’s neck and stabbing Rocky in the back. “Return my rights bloodsuckers!,” the star wrote in part.
‘Rocky’ Films Ranked
Much like the fictional fighter’s life, the Rocky films have experienced both highs and lows. We’ve ranked them all from worst to best.
