Sylvester Stallone is throwing some punches.
The veteran actor — who famously created and portrayed boxer Rocky Balboa in the iconic 1976 film “Rocky” and its subsequent sequels — slammed the recently-announced Drago spinoff and called out returning producer Irvin 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,” he wrote on Instagram as he shared in now deleted screenshots of the project’s announcement, according to People.
Calling the spinoff idea “another heartbreaker,” Stallone, 76, also went after his longtime friend Dolph Lundgren.
After an article on The Wrap reported that the actor would be reprising his role as Russian boxer Ivan Drago in the upcoming spinoff, Stallone referred to his former co-star as “parasite.” “I APOLOGIZE to the FANS, I never wanted ROCKY characters to be exploited by these parasites,” he continued. “By the way, I once had nothing but respect for Dolph but he NEVER told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him!!! REAL FRIENDS Are more precious than gold.”
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But Stallone didn’t stop there. He followed up his scathing post with a photoshopped images of a vampire-like Winkler sucking Rocky’s blood and stabbing him in the back.
“After IRWIN WINKLER And FAMILY SUCK ROCKY DRY!” he wrote along with the disturbing image. “Presumed to be the most hated, untalented, decrepited [sic], Producer in Hollywood and his cowardly children have found their next meal… Drago, RETURN MY RIGHTS BLOODSUCKERS!”
He added, “Throughout history so many artists in every industry, recording, painting writing, you name it have been destroyed by these blood suckers Who have destroyed so many families, lining their pockets with other people! DOLPH, why? Not a phone call? #parasite producers #exploited artists victims.”
Following Stallone’s criticism, Lundgren took to Instagram 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,” he wrote on Aug. 1, along with photo of the two co-stars in better times. “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.”
E! News has reached out to the studio and Winkler for comment and hasn’t heard back.
This isn’t the first Stallone has been vocal about his wish to have control over the franchise. In 2019, Stallone revealed to Variety that he has “zero ownership” of the franchise and regretted not pushing hard enough when negotiating the deal for the original movie.
Stallone — who earned an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for the original “Rocky” film for both Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay — reprised his role in the sequel “Creed” in 2015 and “Creed II” three years later. The next “Creed” installment, without Stallone, is set to premiere in March 2023.
