Sylvester Stallone announced Monday that he will
reprise his famed role as boxing champ Rocky for the sixth time in Rocky
VI, slated to begin production in December 2005. Columbia Pictures,
in a partnership with Revolution Studios and MGM, will release what is reportedly
the last installment in the franchise that disintegrated after Rocky
V fizzled in 1990. Columbia Pictures stated in a press release Monday
that the new film will be a return to the gritty style of the first installment
in the hopes that such approach will enliven enthusiasm for the franchise
once again.
Rocky 6 Follow Up
Released in 1976, Rocky grossed an impressive
$117,000,000 domestically and skyrocketed to $225,000,000 in worldwide sales.
Rocky II followed in 1979 which sizzled to the tune of $200,000,000
worldwide-impressive for a sequel. Rocky III and IV also
fared well as both easily surpassed $100M in '82 and '85. Not until 1990
did moviegoers stop caring. The release of Rocky V proved a commercial
and critical flop barely surpassing $40,000,000 despite a production budget
at nearly the same figure. Stallone and the films' original distributor,
MGM, finally put the franchise to rest in the early '90s although talk of
a remake continued.
After a stint on primetime television with last
year's The Contender, the 59-year-old Stallone decided to return
to the character that spawned a new age of hulky hunks that paved the way
for the Schwarzeneggers and Van Dammes.
"Rocky Balboa is about everybody who feels they want to participate in the race of life, rather than be a bystander," Stallone, who will write, direct, and star in the film, said in a statement. "You're never too old to climb a mountain, if that's your desire."
Rocky IV
Add to Heffee!
