Sylvester Stallone doesn't think he'll ever get the rights to Rocky Back

In a since-deleted July 2022 Instagram post, Sylvester Stallone called out "Rocky" producer Irwin Winkler after a potential "Drago" spin-off aired in the works. Rather than inquire privately about his legitimacy, the "Rambo" star took to social media to publicly castigate Winkler as "remarkably untalented and parasitic." In case his words weren't pointed enough, one of the images he used in the post showed the producer sucking the Italian stud dry like a vampire.

It's the kind of insane thing you'd expect to see in the thumbnails of those scam YouTube videos, so it was a shock to see it coming from Stallone himself. Apparently, MGM had wanted to make another "Rocky" movie, but if that were to happen, Stallone wanted to close the deal first. "I was ready to do it. But I said, 'After 45 years, can we change the rules of the game a bit? Level things up? Can't I get a piece of what I created all those years ago?'" Stallone said (via The Hollywood Reporter).

According to a report by The Wrap, Stallone had tried to contact MGM after sequels to "Rocky" only made more money for decades, to no avail. He claims they told him he "got paid" and that was the end of the conversation. He didn't want restitution, but rather an equal stake moving forward. It's surprising that Stallone doesn't hold a stake in a series that wouldn't have existed without him, especially with the "Creed" revival.