Sylvester Stallone says he regrets killing off Apollo Creed in Rocky IV. Rocky IV, written and directed by Stallone, was originally released in 1985 and ended up becoming the highest-grossing Rocky film to date. The film co-starred Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed, Rocky's longtime nemesis and best friend, who fought the Russian boxer Ivan Drago, as played by Dolph Lundgren. During the match, Drago kills Creed, which prompts Rocky to challenge Drago to a bout in Russia, serving as the main thrust of the film's storyline.
Stallone has taken it upon himself to re-edit the film, which is set to be released for a one-night-only screening with Fathom Events, before debuting on-demand. The Rocky IV: Director's Cut will feature over 40 minutes of new footage, as well as new behind-the-scenes videos that highlight the (re) making of the film. Stallone has shared many BTS videos since he started the project and recently released a video, created by director John Herzfeld, that features his reasoning and process in re-editing Rocky IV.
Today, Stallone had released another video that highlights the re-editing of the Rocky IV: Director's Cut, and says that if he could do it all over again, he would never have killed off Apollo Creed in the film. Instead, he would've had Creed survive, but be wheelchair-bound and become Rocky's new trainer, a change that would've altered the trajectory of the franchise and possibly stopped the Creed franchise, starring Michael B. Jordan, from ever happening. "It was foolish," says Stallone of killing off Creed. "Rocky V would've never happened and Rocky VI maybe never would've happened...that way," says Stallone about how things would've been different if Apollo lived. Check out the full video and his comments below:
The fascinating video also shows Stallone reviewing footage he had never seen since 1985 as he re-edits various scenes from Rocky IV, including a fight between Rocky and Adrian, as well as multiple parts from his literal fight with Ivan Drago. Stallone shares a lot of his insight throughout the re-making of the film, which highlights the wisdom, regret and lessons learned as an actor and a a filmmaker having been removed from the film for 35 years. Asked about how he feels watching the re-edit now, Stallone says, "I feel foolish. The ship sailed, the circus left town. That's why this is a mixed bag of emotions right now. It makes me very angry. Gratified, but also angry that I didn't see it at the time. But, isn't that the conundrum of life? It really is. If I only knew then what I knew now? There it is." By the end, Stallone feels that the re-cut accomplished his goals, saying, "I'm a happy man. I really think that we nailed it. We delivered a knockout blow. I finally said what I wanted to say, what I should've said 35 years ago."
Rocky IV continues to be the fan-favorite of the Rocky franchise, and seeing Stallone's new cut will certainly be a sight for those who herald it as the best of the series. While some things will be cut (such as the famed Robot), it appears that a lot more emotional weight will be added, as well as a tightening up of the fight scenes, which Stallone has fine-tuned down to the last detail. It's rare that an artist is able to return to their work to "fix" what they now see as broken, and hearing Stallone's insight into that process is nothing less than intuitive and revealing. As someone who has written, directed, and acted in a multitude of films and franchises throughout the years, there's something to be gleaned from his percipience on the process of filmmaking, and soon everyone will be able to witness what that looks like with a new version of Rocky IV.
Source: Sylvester Stallone
