A behind-the-scenes image from the set of Rocky III shows how they made Hulk Hogan look even taller than Sylvester Stallone. Seen by many as one of the campiest fights in the Rocky franchise’s new era, the exhibition match of Rocky Balboa (Stallone) and world heavyweight wrestling champion, Thunderlips (Hogan), first premiered in 1982. Rocky III earned over $270 million worldwide on a budget of just $17 million. While certainly not the greatest overall film in the series, Rocky III is still a classic.
Following Rocky II, writer Stallone returned to the director’s chair for his second outing in the franchise. Its story follows Rocky after winning against Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) and becoming heavyweight champion of the world. As the Italian Stallion wins a string of easy title defenses, his profile increases and loses the “eye of the tiger.” Before losing against Clubber Lang (Mr. T) and training with Apollo to regain his edge, Rocky participates in a charity event, pitting the boxer against the much bigger wrestler.
Stallone often takes to social media to share behind-the-scenes photos from his work on the Rocky franchise and other past films. Recently, the 75-year-old actor posted a photo from the set of Rocky III, showing they used the method often associated with Tom Cruise to make Hogan look even bigger than Stallone: they had him stand on a box. Check it out below:
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Now, Stallone is 5’10”, while the former wrestler is 6’7”. So, there’s already a huge difference between the two, but Stallone clearly wanted to make his opponent seem even more imposing when the two characters came face to face in the ring. The same thing can be said about the casting of Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV and Florian Munteanu—Stallone wanted Ivan Drago and, in turn, his son to be as large and physically intimidating as possible. That being said, long-time fans of the franchise are currently anticipating Stallone’s work on the director’s cut of Rocky IV. This past week, the official trailer was released and it looks to make Rocky vs. Drago all the more epic.
This most recent social media post by Stallone might make some hope for an alternate cut of Rocky’s third installment. Especially considering the fact that Stallone has said in the past that Hogan threw clean punches during filming. As was the case with Rocky IV, there’s most likely plenty of Rocky III scenes that were left on the cutting room floor. Even after Creed II, Stallone clearly isn’t done with the franchise as he’s also said that he’s working on a Rocky prequel series set prior to the events of the original Oscar-winning film. Until sees (doesn’t see) the light of day, audiences can check out the Rocky IV director’s cut on the big screen on, and only on, November 11th.
More: Why You Shouldn't Rule Out A Creed 3 Rocky Cameo Just Yet
Source: Sylvester Stallone/Instagram
