Rocky's Dolph Lundgren Drops Fresh Details For Drago Spin-Off Movie
Of all the fighters Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) clashes with in the "Rocky" franchise, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) is arguably his biggest challenge. The Soviet Union's super athlete takes the fight to the Italian Stallion after killing his friend and mentor, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), during an exhibition fight. Though he's defeated, he returns via "Creed II," coaching his son, Viktor (Florian Munteanu), as he prepares for a fight against Apollo's son and Rocky's pupil, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan). Ultimately, Viktor fails to defeat Adonis, seemingly closing the book on the Dragos' story. In truth, this doesn't seem to be the case.
According to Lundgren himself, a Drago-centric spin-off is in development, and it sounds utterly fascinating. Speaking with Screen Rant, he explained that the script focuses on both Ivan and Viktor as they are forced to move to the United States. "In 'Creed II,' we're in the Ukraine, in the beginning, we're in Kyiv. That's where the movie opens, even though it's not really mentioned too much. But in the version of the script that I read, it starts with a Russian invasion," he told the publication, noting that it has taken time to get the production off the ground due to the success of "Creed III." He claims that Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer has shifted focus to "Creed IV," thus putting the Drago spin-off on the back burner.
One can only hope that the Dragos will get a spotlight all their own, considering the narrative potential such a production holds.
The characterization of the Dragos can benefit from a spin-off
Being released at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, "Rocky IV" doesn't go out of its way to humanize Ivan Drago. He's simply depicted as a brutish, robotic fighting machine seeking nothing more than victory and honor for the USSR. Following his loss against Rocky Balboa, it's revealed in "Creed II" that he's shamed by his homeland, hence why he and Viktor are living in an impoverished area in Ukraine. As soon as he failed his country, he was discarded and left to be forgotten to time. With Viktor now at the forefront of the boxing world, Ivan is given the chance to rectify his loss to Rocky by training his son to defeat his student.
Ultimately, though, this doesn't happen, and Ivan is left with no choice but to throw in Viktor's towel and call off his fight with Adonis Creed. Should the Drago series come to fruition, there's a lot it can cover through these events. It can explore how Ivan has — or hasn't — handled being abandoned by his country, the pressure he put on Viktor to succeed where he couldn't, and their father-son dynamic after the latter's loss to Adonis. It has the potential to humanize both characters, delving into the emotional damage and traumatic events they've endured throughout the years and chronicling their efforts to heal over time.