New Line CinemaEarlier this year, Sylvester Stallone took to social media to tease the behind-the-scenes works of a fight between Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago.
However, when Rocky fans turned up to theatres to watch Creed II, they were left disappointed to find the scene had been cut from the film, and turns out they’re not the only ones left feeling short.
According to his co-star Dolph Lundgren, Stallone was said to be ‘upset’ director Steven Caple Jr decided to cut the mini rematch, which was set to take place after Adonis ‘Donnie’ Johnson Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is hospitalised following his first bout with Drago’s son Viktor (Florian Munteanu), ComicBook reports.
As per the publication, Lundgren said at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention:
So Rocky comes down in the lobby, and we basically [say], ‘We’re going to go up there and talk to him, take some photos.’
[Rocky says], ‘I can’t let you do that.’ So then there’s a kind of shoving match, and I take a swipe at him, and then we end the fight in the lobby.
It was fun. It was interesting, because I hadn’t thrown a punch at Stallone since ’85, because in Expendables, we’re on the same side.
Because Stallone ‘worked all day doing dramatic stuff’, he reportedly walked into the lobby ‘not in a good mood.’
New Line CinemaLundgren continued:
I could see people clearing out. I was like, ‘This is not going to be good, I gotta get in a fight with this guy now?’ He’s also producing the movie, he’s my boss, all of that.
It worked out fine, we both enjoyed it. But I think the director decided he didn’t want the fight in there.
For some reason, they took it out. I haven’t seen it cut together – I think it’s on the DVD or something.
But Stallone was really upset, he wanted it in there. But I guess it broke the flow of the picture somehow, so there you go. Maybe next time.
The scene never made it only any home media release, ComicBook reports, however behind-the-scenes footage of the pair rehearsing the scene did make it on to social media.
Posting it on Instagram in February, Stallone wrote:
It would’ve been extraordinary, but regretfully, it was cut… pity.
Lundgren suggested Stallone may not retire Rocky even though the franchise creator declared Creed II would be his last outing as the character.
It’s reported Stallone has since pitched another spin-off which would see Rocky act as a mentor to an immigrant fighter.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.