Sylvester Stallone’s unhappiness with the future of the Rocky franchise is noted, and recently, the actor took to social media to share what a potential seventh entry in the Rocky franchise would have looked like.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Stallone shared the beginning excerpts of the screenplay for Rocky 7. In a tweet sharing the post, Stallone said that “sadly, it will never happen, but it’s something I want to share with the diehard fans.” The excerpt is pretty barebones but does give some interesting tidbits about what the film would have held.
In the excerpts, Rocky is seen running Adrian’s Restaurant, a place he opened after the death of his wife. In the scene, he plays a vinyl record and imagines having a conversation with his wife.
A bit of the excerpt can be seen below:
Ext. Adrian’s Restaurant – Night
The windows are dark except for the faint glow emanating from within the building.
The streets are deserted and the composition is quite somber…
Int. Adrian’s
Rocky, half enveloped in the shadows behind the bar, places a record on an ancient turntable then lowers the needle and operatic music lifts out of the dated speakers above the bar.
Rocky saunters to the back of the restaurant as “O mio babbino caro” by Puccini gently embraces the room.
Rocky approaches a checkered table cloth is illuminated by scented candles.
As he approaches we see the slight silhouette of a woman seated with her back to us. Rocky arrives and slides to opposite side and…
Rocky: “Do you like this song?”
Adrian’s warm eyes settle on Rocky’s.
Adrian: “Yes. Very much. My favorite aria.”
Rocky (sheepish): “…I know that.”
Shared in a separate and also deleted post is another scene where Rocky goes to a boxing club. Rocky sees a 27-year-old fighter named “Chucho the Mutt,” but it’s unclear as to whether or not this would be an opponent of Rocky’s or perhaps a student for him to mentor. “I know it’s confusing, but I think you get the idea,” wrote Stallone. “Rocky was back trying to fight for the neighborhood that made him and that he still loves.”
While Stallone did want to make a seventh Rocky film to show off more of the character, things never came to fruition, which Stallone blames on producer Irwin Winkler. Last year, Stallone accused the producer of purposely holding onto the rights of the Rocky character, and likened Winkler and his family to vampires, calling them “parasites” that had been “lining their pockets with other people’s work.”
Stallone has had ideas for prequel series to both of his iconic franchises for some time, both of which centered around exploring the story of a younger version of the characters of Rocky and Rambo.