Dolph Lundgren Wades Into Rocky Beef With Shocking Drago Revelation
Things are looking real rocky for the "Drago" spin-off. It was reported last week that MGM, the studio behind the Oscar-winning "Rocky" franchise, would be developing a spin-off based on Dolph Lundgren's Ivan Drago. The Soviet boxer first appeared in "Rocky IV" and later returned in "Creed II," which saw his son Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) take on Adonis (Michael B. Jordan).
Shortly after the report made its way onto the internet, "Rocky" architect Sylvester Stallone, who has shaped and played the character for over 40 years, called out the spin-off and its producers. Notably, Stallone hasn't shied away from sharing his recent displeasure with the franchise as a whole.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Stallone aired his issues with the franchise's producers. "Another Heartbreaker... Just found this out...ONCE AGAIN , PATHETIC 94-year-old PRODUCER and HIS SELFISH USELESS CHILDREN are once again picking what is left OFF THE BONES of another wonderful character!!!" wrote Stallone (via The Hollywood Reporter). The producer in question appears to be Irwin Winkler, who has been working on the franchise since day one. In a similarly deleted post, Stallone also called out Lundgren for not calling him regarding the development of the spin-off.
Lundgren certainly got Stallone's message. The iconic action star has finally opened up about the upcoming "Drago" spin-off with a development that should please staunch Stallone supporters.
Dolph Lundgren assumed Sylvester Stallone was on-board with the Drago film
After Sylvester Stallone's posts on Instagram spread across the internet like wildfire, Dolph Lundgren took to the platform to set the record straight. Sharing a playful photo of himself and Stallone boxing, the martial artist and actor revealed that no deals are in place for the spin-off.
"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 said. Continuing his post, the actor said he found the entire situation unfortunate. "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."
Umberto Gonzales of TheWrap, who broke the story, made it clear that plot details were limited and that only screenwriter Robert Lawton was attached after wowing execs with his spec-script focused on the making of the original "Rocky." The spin-off will reportedly focus on both Viktor and Ivan Drago. The report did not reveal if Lundgren was confirmed to return. Lundgren did, however, tease the possibility of a Drago-focused spin-off earlier this year.