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Sylvester Stallone has played some of the most iconic roles in action movie history, but Rocky Balboa is unquestionably his best role to date. When the firstRockymovie was released in 1976, it became an instant hit, receiving critical acclaim and winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It spawned a slew of sequels, includingRocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky Balboa,and theCreedseries.
Well, Rockyhas undoubtedly grown into a massive franchise in which Stallone has no ownership. Speaking on SiriusXM’sPop Culture Spotlightwith Jessica Shaw,the actor discussed the hardship and anguish of having producer Irwin Winkler retain the rights to his character and theRockyfranchise. He talked at length about Winkler, implying that leaving something for his family—rather than just the money—was more significant to him.
Also read:“I’ve been left out everytime”: Sylvester Stallone Was Not Italian Enough to Even be an Extra in The Godfather
Sylvester Stallone Discussed Not Owning The Rights ToRockyFranchise
During an interview onSiriusXM’sPop Culture Spotlightwith Jessica Shaw, Sylvester Stallone disclosed that he did not own the rights to the acclaimedRockyfranchise.When Shaw questioned the actor about the possibility of “making peace”withIrwin Winkler, the man who owns the rights to the movies in theRockyandCreedfranchises, he replied:
“You can’t make peace with someone who’s been so, so nefarious in my opinion.”
TheRambo actor, 77, continued, saying that“everyone made out well”,but that nobody should succeed more than anybody else:
“It was all supposed to be neutral. No one had anything more than the other.”
Stallone discussed Winkler’s peculiar ownership of the film rights that he produced. As he pointed out, Universal Pictures owns the rights toJaws, not even Stephen Spielberg:
“Spielberg doesn’t have the rights to Jaws; in other words, the studio owns it.”
The actor made it clear that, in his opinion, leaving his family with something fromRockywas more important than leaving money behind:
“I wrote it. I thought it would be nice to say, ‘Here’s the gesture darling here. Beautiful children, beautiful wife. When I’m long gone, this is you. This is what I made for you.’”
Also, he declared that the rights to theRockyfranchise would never belong to him or his family. In an interview withVariety, the “furious” actor expressed his desire for a kind of annuity that could be left to his children after his death:
“I have zero ownership of ‘Rocky’.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.”
Also read:After The Expendables 4 Exit, Sylvester Stallone Sells 2.2 Acre Los Angeles Ranch for a Devastating Loss
Did He Expect To Ever Get Any Of TheRockyRights?
Despite having starred in sixRockymovies and made appearances in twoCreedmovies,Sylvester Stalloneacknowledged in 2022 toTHRthat he did not expect to ever receive any of the rights. He clarified:
“No. It’s never gonna happen. It was a deal that was done unbeknownst to me by people that I thought were close to me and they basically gave away whatever rights I would have had.”
Not realizing this was a business, Stallone was initially “excited” to be starring inRocky.He has stated that he had to essentially do whatever the studio wanted him to do to get the movie made:
“At the time he was so excited to be working and I didn’t understand this is a business. Who knew Rocky would go on for another 45 years? I’ve never used one [line of dialogue] from anyone else – and the irony is that I don’t own any of it. The people who have done literally nothing control it.”
Stallone wrote and starred in the 1976Rockyfilm, which launched the franchise. He later received Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay for the film.
Recently, the actor starred in the Thom Zimny-directed documentarySly, which explores the life and legacy of Stallone. Set to release on Netflix on August 15, 2025, it made its debut at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
StreamRockyon Amazon Prime Video.
Also read:Sylvester Stallone’s Expendables Co-Star Had to Swim Out of the Black Sea When His Truck Sank 60 feet into the Water During Filming
Siddhika Prajapati
Senior Journalist & Content Head
Articles Published :3310
With over 3,300 articles carved into the digital walls of FandomWire, Siddhika Prajapati excels at creating, curating, and elevating engaging stories. She takes pride in giving these stories a home and, of course, she’s got a Google Knowledge Panel to prove it!Whether it’s reviewing the latest drop on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+, or analyzing the cultural echoes of a streaming hit on Paramount+ or Max, Siddhika is always writing three steps ahead of the discourse.
