Sylvester Stallone expressed interest in revisiting his beloved boxing franchise, but not with a new installment. Instead, Stallone wants an opportunity to create his own cut of Rocky V.
Rocky V is widely considered the worst installment in Stallone’s Rocky franchise, which made him a household name in Hollywood. Released in 1990, the film sees Stallone’s character, Rocky Balboa, lose everything and move back to his old neighborhood in Philadelphia.
As a result of brain damage sustained during his bout with Ivan Drago, Balboa is forced to retire. He befriends a young aspiring boxer, Tommy Gunn, and trains him at Mighty Mick’s Gym. However, Gunn eventually leaves Balboa, which leads to a climactic street fight.
The film was the least successful in the franchise and met with negative reviews. It grossed $119.9 million at the box office, which is much lower than the $300.5 million grossed by its predecessor.
It was not until 2006 that Stallone ended the franchise on a high note with Rocky Balboa. He later returned for the following two installments in the spinoff franchise, Creed.
With his beloved franchise celebrating its 50th anniversary, Stallone expressed interest in trying to recut Rocky V.
Sylvester Stallone Reveals Why He Wants to Recut ‘Rocky V’
Sylvester Stallone, 80, revealed that the reason he wants to recut Rocky V is because he is still bothered by the end result.
Stallone already has experience completing a recut of one of the films in the franchise. He released a director’s cut titled Rocky vs. Drago: The Ultimate Director’s Cut, which coincided with the film’s 35th anniversary.
The 1985 film was the most successful at the box office, so Stallone’s cut was more of a dramatic shift from the fast-paced original. However, one detail to point out about Rocky V is that Stallone did not direct that film, unlike Rocky II, Rocky III, and Rocky IV.
“This is news. I’ve been talking to Amazon. I said, ‘Please, give me three weeks. I want to recut [Rocky V],” Stallone said during an interview with SiriusXM. “One hundred percent [I think I can do better]. It’s like a thorn in my soul.”
Stallone also admitted that while he is pushing for Amazon MGM to allow him to recut the film, audiences should temper expectations.
“[Finding all the material], that’s the hard part. But an archivist, they’ll find it. I have to change the movie. The music, I wasn’t using enough Bill Conti. I was using more hip-hop. Is it going to be amazing? It’ll be good. Yes, it won’t be a thorn in my side.”
Stallone Reveals What Went Wrong With the Film
Stallone also revealed what went wrong with Rocky V and what led to the disappointing finished product.
The Golden Globe winner admitted that he was not self-aware at the time and that his film suffered as a result.
“[Rocky V] bothers me to death because I know I took my foot off the gas. I should have been more aware of not trying to be cool to the audience,” Stallone told The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
Sylvester Stallone Eyes ‘Rocky V’ Recut, Calls Boxing Film a ‘Thorn in My Soul’