I Didn’t Know Rocky Almost Died In Creed, And Sylvester Stallone Explained Why He Shot That Idea Down

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Sylvester Stallone first revisited his iconic role as Rocky Balboa in 2006, after a 16-year break. In 2015, he returned to the character again, but this time in the film Creed, where Michael B. Jordan played the lead as Adonis Creed. Stallone initially considered killing off Rocky in the new movie, but ultimately decided against it.

Like many fans, I wondered if Rocky Balboa would die in the movie Creed. However, I recently learned that director Ryan Coogler originally planned for Rocky’s death in the script. This was actually the reason Sylvester Stallone was hesitant to do the film, as he explained in an interview with GQ while discussing his famous characters.

I always felt uneasy about the project, and I managed to avoid it for two or three years. Ryan Coogler really kept after me, though. We shared an agent, but I was hesitant because his script killed off Rocky – he was written to have ALS. I strongly dislike seeing characters die like that. I’d much prefer they simply leave and are never seen again. I felt a death would really upset the audience. Once we changed that part, I agreed to try it.

I understand Sylvester Stallone’s perspective, particularly considering how crucial the character of Rocky Balboa has been to his career – a movie about the making of the original Rocky is even being made! For years, he avoided meeting with director Ryan Coogler, but eventually he explained his worries about how the character would be portrayed. Coogler was willing to work with him, and they ultimately decided against having Rocky die from Lou Gehrig’s disease.

During the movie Creed, Rocky faced a health crisis when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Thankfully, despite initially refusing treatment, he eventually underwent chemotherapy and showed signs of recovery by the film’s end. Interestingly, Sylvester Stallone unintentionally revealed this plot point in a social media post back in December 2014.

Sylvester Stallone returned as Rocky Balboa in Creed II, but he didn’t participate in Creed III. He called his absence from the third film “disappointing,” explaining in November 2022 that the movie’s direction wasn’t what he had envisioned. Stallone has also voiced his frustration over the past few years about not owning the rights to the Rocky/Creed series. He revealed in November 2022 that the original Rocky deal was made without his full knowledge by people he trusted, resulting in him losing any potential ownership rights.

It’s doubtful Sylvester Stallone will reprise his role as Rocky, though plans for a seventh film were once considered. The Rocky universe is still expanding, however, with a prequel series in development at Amazon Studios, alongside a Drago spin-off and Creed IV which are both still planned.

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2025-10-24 03:08