Sly Stallone’s “Rocky” franchise is easily one of the best and most successful sports dramas unleashed by Hollywood. While the quality of the series waivers towards the end (thank you “Creed” for fixing that), It’s hard to argue that there isn’t some great entertainment value to be had with most of the movies.
Following his supposed retirement from the franchise, Stallone is returning to the fourth installment with a new director’s cut of “Rocky IV” he’s been teasing on social media accounts for months. Titled “Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago,” today, MGM Studios announced the film will be hitting theaters for one day only on November 11 and have released a trailer to promote it (See below).
Released in 1985 during the height of the Cold War, “Rocky IV” saw former adversary and pal Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers) killed in the ring by Soviet Union boxer Ivan Drago (played by Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren), leading to Rocky heading overseas to fight Drago in the Soviet Union for an exhibition bout. The film also featured Stallone’s ex-wife Brigitte Nielsen (“Beverly Hills Cop II,” “Red Sonja”) as Drago’s trainer/wife. Stallone had also been teasing a “Rocky” prequel series at one point, but movement on the project hasn’t been announced.
“Rocky IV” is a benchmark installment that was written and directed by Stallone, as those events eventually led to the “Creed” trilogy, the first one landing Sly Stallone an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. “Creed” star Michael B. Jordan will be making his directorial debut with “Creed III.”
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Tickets can be purchased at Fathom Events. Watch the new trailer below.