Among all the iconic roles that he has portrayed over the course of five decades, Rocky Balboa remains the closest to Sylvester Stallone’s heart. Since the release of the first film in the franchise, 1976’s Rocky, there have been several sequels, with the torch now passed to Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed.

However, one of the most important entries, which would revive the iconic franchise after it suffered a massive blow, following the failure of Rocky V, almost never came to fruition. According to Stallone, initially not many were on board with the idea of a Rocky flick revolving around an old and retired Rocky, including his wife.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone’s wife didn’t support his decision to return for a new Rocky film

By the time the fifth Rocky movie hit the screens, fans weren’t quite as delighted by the quality of this entry and it almost killed Sylvester Stallone‘s most dearest franchise. But after the failure of the fifth film, the Rocky IP would witness a 16-year hiatus before making its way back to the big screen. However, unlike Stallone, for whom Rocky Balboa was one of the most personal entries in his career, the idea of following a character who was out of his prime didn’t captivate many. Not only MGM but the Rambo star’s wife, Jennifer Flavin also wasn’t on board with the idea of her husband returning for a sixth Rocky installment. Stallone explained,

“My wife begged me not to do it, though. That’s why I wrote the line in there: ‘I’d rather do something I love badly than to feel bad about not doing something I love,’”
But things did eventually work out after MGM was sold to Sony and the new people in charge did see eye to eye with Stallone’s idea of crafting a new installment in the franchise.

Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin

Sylvester Stallone said every story he had with Rocky Balboa 

Not only his decision to craft a new Rocky film worked but it also breathe new life into the franchise, which was almost killed following the underwhelming performance of Rocky V. But considering it was more a personal story for Sylvester Stallone, he believed that he has done everything he could with the iconic character and claimed that there are no stories left to tell with Rocky. Stallone stated,
“When he says, ‘Yo, Adrian, we did it!’ He means we’re done. We lived the life. I’m a big believer that, in life, we can’t succeed in everything. Most times, we lose. But the few times we do win, we have to make sure they were the important battles.”
Also read: Sylvester Stallone Called Conor McGregor a Fool for Rejecting $50M Jake Paul Fight Offer: “With that kind of money, He’d be foolish not to”

Rocky Balboa (2006)
Rocky Balboa was one of the best films in the Rocky franchise after the first one and it paved the way for taking the iconic IP in a new direction with Michael B. Jordan’s Creed movies.

Source: Total Film