The ‘Rocky’ franchise is a bit of a rollercoaster ride of a film series. First, you have the original film, which by most accounts is one of the best sports films of all time. The second film followed a similar story to the first and is well-liked by the fans. Then you have the third and fourth films, which show what happened to Rocky Balboa after he became champ and featured bigger obstacles in his way, with Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren going after the boxer, respectively. While those films have their fans, no one would argue they are anywhere near the quality of the first two. But in the case of “Rocky IV,” it appears Stallone is ready to take another stab at it, with a brand-new director’s cut.
READ MORE: Sylvester Stallone Says He’s Working With WB On A New ‘Demolition Man’ Film. For Real.
According to an Instagram post from Stallone, who not only starred in “Rocky IV” but also wrote and directed the film, MGM is readying a special 35th-anniversary release of the film featuring a new director’s cut.
Stallone posted, “For the 35th anniversary Rocky 4 Is getting a new DIRECTORS cut by me. So far it looks great. Soulful.. Thank you MGM For this opportunity to entertain.”
While we don’t know exactly what will be changed between the theatrical cut and the director’s cut of the film, there’s one thing we know will be different—no more robot. That’s right, the controversial robot from the fourth ‘Rocky,’ which was given to Paulie as a gift (and a way to show just how big time the boxer had become), is said to be removed from the new cut, per Stallone.
READ MORE: Sylvester Stallone Teaming With Producer Michael Bay On A Dystopian Action Film
In replies to his director’s cut announcement, the star responded to comments about the robot by saying, “The robot is going to the junkyard forever, no more robot” and “I don’t like the robot anymore.”
Even though “Rocky IV” doesn’t have the same respect as the first two films in the franchise, or even the recent “Creed” features, the film does have a devoted fanbase, who really enjoy Lundgren’s character and the whole political aspect of the film, which basically has the boxer solving communism with punches. But the robot is a part of that film, adding a bit of the camp to a film that is clearly apex of when ‘Rocky’ went from serious dramas to de facto superhero films. But hey, if Stallone wants to get rid of the robot, then he should be allowed.
There’s no release date announced for when the Director’s Cut of “Rocky IV” might be released. But if you want to see the robot in action one more time, you can in the clip below.