American actor, screenwriter, and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone who wrote and starred in the 1976 sports classic Rocky and its subsequent sequels has called out the film’s producer Irwin Winkler.
See Why Sylvester Stallone Called Out ‘Rocky’ Film Producer Irwin Winkler
He did so via his Instagram page claiming that Irwin Winkler, who produced the Rocky films and its spin-off Creed films alongside his son, David Winkler, have taken all the rights to the films.
Sharing a portrait of Winkler with the body of a snake and a knife blade as a tongue, Sylvester Stallone wrote,
“A very flattering portrait of The Great Rocky/Creed Producer, IRWIN WINKLER, from one of the country’s greatest artist.
“After IRWIN controlling ROCKY for over 47 years, and now CREED, I really would like have at least a little WHAT’s LEFT of my RIGHTS back, before passing it on to ONLY YOUR CHILDREN.
“I believe that would be a FAIR gesture from this 93-year-old gentleman? This is a painful subject that eats at my soul, because I wanted to leave something of Rocky for my children, but it’s always great hearing from the loyal fans…keep punching.”
Just so you know, Sylvester Stallone originated the role of Rocky Balboa in the 1976 film, which went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture.
Stallone himself was nominated for Best Actor and Best Screenplay, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for reprising the character in 2015’s Creed.
See Why Sylvester Stallone Called Out ‘Rocky’ Film Producer Irwin Winkler
In an interview with Variety in 2019, Sylvester Stallone revealed that he was deprived of an equity stake in the Rocky franchise, stating that while he has profited greatly from the Rocky films and Creed spinoffs, he never got an annuity, which he could hand down to his children after his death.
He said, “I have zero ownership of Rocky, every word, every syllable, every grammatical error was all my fault.
“It was shocking that it never came to be, but I was told, ‘Hey, you got paid, so what are you complaining about?’ I was furious.”
He however blames inexperience in his early years in the industry for not lobbying harder to have a stake in Rocky.
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