Sylvester Stallone Reveals He’s Written More ‘Rocky’ — He Shares His Hopes for Future Films

Rocky: 50th Anniversary

Special Issue

Buy Now

While Rocky wasn’t Sylvester Stallone‘s first appearance on screen (he had appeared in the coming-of-age comedy The Lords of Flatbush and had some minor TV roles), it kick-started a career that has spanned over 80 movies, which combined have made more than $7 billion at the box office.

This year, Stallone is celebrating two major milestones: He turned 80 years old on July 6, and November 20 will mark the 50th anniversary of Rocky‘s release.

Along the way, Stallone has starred in some of the most famous franchises in history — besides Rocky, there’s Rambo and The Expendables — and he’s written or cowritten more than 40 different movies. He has appeared in films that were No. 1 at the box office every single decade since the 1970s. He is, without a doubt, one of the biggest stars of all time.

Stallone has now written a deeply personal memoir, The Steps (William Morrow), detailing his incredible life. Before the book’s release, Stallone shared his thoughts on what he’s accomplished, how he feels about Rocky Balboa all these decades later, and what could be next for the triumphant character he created.

Happy belated 80th birthday! Did celebrating this momentous occasion make this the right time for you to write this memoir?

Sylvester Stallone: I felt now that I’m 80 it was a good time to write about the incredible journey that I have had. Also, because it coincides with the 50th anniversary of Rocky, I thought it’s just a perfect opportunity to present this amazing journey.

Paul Mace, Sylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler, Perry King in The Lords of Flatbush, 1974 (Everett Collection)

It’s definitely an amazing journey, and even though you’ve been in the public eye for 50 years now, there are a lot of new details in this book. What are you excited for people to take away from your memoir? And do you think it will give people a new understanding of you and your work?

What I hoped to accomplish in this book is to inspire other people not to give up on their dreams and to keep pushing forward, no matter what the adversity is, and never stop punching.

Related

Sylvester Stallone Shares Arnold Schwarzenegger Rivalry Update

How did you personally celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rocky? Did you do anything special to commemorate this landmark achievement?

Ironically, I celebrated the 50th anniversary by being very introspective and really giving gratitude to the people who inspired me and gave me a push when I needed it and supported my dreams. I think it’s very interesting to look back and remember where you come from.

When you look back at the Rocky series, and the first movie in particular, is there anything you would change now?

It’s funny, when most artists look back on their endeavors, they always see flaws and moments they would like to alter, but I believe that’s just insecurity coming to the surface, so in retrospect I doubt I would change anything. There is something so realistic about these characters coming together and making a family. The ultimate opportunity presented itself, and it was very relatable to many other people in the audience.

HarperCollins Books

What is the status of any future Rocky projects? Do you see any happening, and are there ideas that you would like to explore further with the character?

I have written another chapter to the Rocky saga, and I think it would be a good opportunity to explore life outside the ring and how the world is changing around him and how his neighborhood is not like it once was, and he devotes himself to the less fortunate, but I don’t know if it would really be that interesting to most people. So, I just wrote it for myself.

Related

Dolph Lundgren Sent Sylvester Stallone to the Hospital While Filming 'Rocky IV'

There might be an opportunity for a prequel because I believe it’s fascinating to watch where these individual characters came from and I have many ideas of how their paths crossed. During that particular period in time, the 1960s, there was a great transition happening in the country and in music and many other elements of society, so I would love to do that project.

Rocky Balboa is one of the greatest movie characters ever created — an underdog that almost everyone can relate to in some way. Looking back, how has your own personal relationship with the character evolved over the past 50 years?

That’s a very interesting question. My relationship with this fictional character has actually become more realistic. I look back at the morality of the character and how he managed to stay strong when the odds were against him and really learned the meaning of love and gratitude and support of his wife, and that’s exactly the way I feel.

TV Guide Magazine’s Rocky 50th Anniversary Special Issue is available for order online now at Rocky.TVBooks.com, and for purchase on newsstands nationwide.