Category: 2009

Robbi Rodriguez’s Rocky

Craig / / 2009, Craig's Sly Art, Rocky

I first saw Robbi Rodriguez’s art at a convention. Robbi was set up selling his sketches, and sketchbooks. I didn’t have a clue who he was, but I really liked his art. Since my sketch budget was already shot, I couldn’t hit Robbi up for a sketch. I decided if I ever saw him at another show, I’d definitely try to get on his list.

Lucky for me, Robbi was at this year’s Heroes Convention.  Luckier, still was that he agreed to do a Stallone piece for me.  I really love the loosenes of Robbi’s style.  The kid is talented.  You can see more of Robbi’s art here and here… and hopefully again here at the SZ in the future.

“Rocky 7” Rumors

Craig / / 2009, Rocky

There are a lot of rumors floating around the internet that Sly is planning to make a seventh “Rocky” film.  This story appears to have started with the posting of this piece at TeenSay.Co.Uk. That article says that Sly told Tele5 in Germany [with no link to the original piece or video]:

“I know I’ll probably make a fool of myself if I make another ‘Rocky’ film after turning 60… I also know there’s gonna be a lot of criticism. Even my wife says, ‘Don’t do it…’…  But I also know that I’d be successful if I can make this a film about becoming older, not about boxing but about myself.”

Several sites have picked up the story and run with it.  It sounds to me as if the Sly quotes were made BEFORE he began filming “Rocky Balboa”.  I really don’t think that Sly plans to return to “Rocky” again since the last film was such a fitting tribute to the character and a perfect bookend to the orginal.  

However, there is always a small chance that Sly would.  I remember when filming was starting on “Rocky II” and Sly told an interviewer that he felt it would be interesting to revisit Rocky every five years or so and see what was happening in his life.  He went on to say that the movies would move away from boxing and the drama would come from Rocky’s life, not who he was fighting.  Sly added that to follow a character in movies like that would be a first and might be interesting to do. 

So perhaps Sly is thinking about another “Rocky” film.   I’d say odds are against it and don’t believe it until you hear it from Sly or reported here.  ; )

Sly, Arnold & Bruce Make History

Craig / / 2009, Celebs, Expendables

On Saturday, October 25, 2009, at about 12:00 PM EST, @marialascala sent the following message on Twitter:

“Cameras r rolling with sly Bruce and Arnold all together for the first time”

Later in the day, @marialascala sent out:

“wow im stil reelng from the day. Six hours of Arnold bruce & sly creating movie magic. details soon on my blog but sadly no fotos…yet”

How cool is that?  Sly, Arnold and Bruce together on screen for the first time and it’s for their scenes in “The Expendables”. It’s a great time to be a Stallone fan!

  • Steve “Frosty” Weintraub wrote a piece for Collider.com about Sly, Arnold and Bruce filming their scene

Mike Zeck: “Demolition Man”

Craig / / 2009, Demolition Man, Fan Art

My buddy, Mike Zeck sent me the scan above as well as this one. That is of course, Sly in his role as John Spartan from “Demolition Man”.  Here’s what Mike had to say about his involvement with DC’s “Demolition Man” adaptation:

DC asked for a pencil image of these two characters. I delivered, got paid, and that’s the total extent of my knowledge. No idea if they were ever used for anything, ever inked, or anything else.

Interesting unseen art though for the ‘Zone‘.

I thanked Mike and said that I wondered how much Stallone-related art is out there that hasn’t been seen. I told Mike that when Joe Kubert was a guest at an OrlandoCon several years ago he told me that he had worked up some dailies for a potential “Rocky” newspaper strip that never sold.  Mike wrote back to say that he’d been approached about samples for a potential “Rambo” newspaper strip, but because the pay was so low, he never got around to doing any.

At least we have these two previously unseen pieces of Stallone art to enjoy. Thanks to Mike for sharing.

“The Expendables” Bootleg Promo

Craig / / 2009, Expendables

Earlier this week a “bootleg” trailer for “The Expendables” hit the net.   It was only up a short time before Lionsgate called for it’s removal.  Since “The Expendables” doesn’t open until August of next year, the powers-that-be want to make sure that promotions don’t peak too early and that what is out there is official.  Despite the short time the trailer was up, several sites picked up on it and here’s some of what they had to say:

  • “First Trailer for Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables” Unleashed: Some exciting news for fans awaiting the arrival of what has become the most highly anticipated action film of all time.” – Icon Vs Icon
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  • “The Expendables: A Badass Trailer: …it hits hard with some awesome action…” – Film School Rejects
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  • Expendables Trailer Explodes Online: My usual rule of not accepting action just for action’s sake has literally been tossed out the window because of the unbridled amount of fun this will be. – Cinema Blend
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  • “Must Watch: Awesome Promo Trailer for ‘The Expendables’ – This isn’t the official trailer, I’m sure Lionsgate won’t be too happy, but… it’s so awesome I can’t help myself! – First Showing
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  • “Promo Trailer for Stallone’s ‘The Expendables’ Explodes Online: Just the final image alone bearing the title treatment and featuring Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Jet Li, Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Dolph Lundgren is enough to sell me.” – Rope of Silicone
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  • “Promo Trailer for ‘The Expendables’ is Incredible: Well, judging from this “promo” trailer for THE EXPENDABLES, this movie is going to kick our asses.” – We Are Movie Geeks
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  • “Sylvester Stallone’s Action-Packed ‘Expendables’: … Lots of great action scenes…” – Worst Previews
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  • “Sylvester Stallone’s ‘The Expendables’ Promo Trailer: … has pretty much everything you’d want… this film knows exactly what it wants to be…” – SlashFilm
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  • “Promo Trailer for ‘The Expendables’ Explodes: … a hardhitting action/thriller…” – AceShowBiz
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  • “The First ‘Expendables’ Trailer is Online: …In short: pure awesomeness captured on celluloid. What’s that noise, you ask? Why yes, it is the sound of the entire internet experiencing what is known as a collective nerdgasm.” – Cinematical
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  • “Stallone’s ‘The Expendables’ Promo: … Now it’s time for something that kicks ass, and for that we go to the same dude we went’ to decades ago– Sylvester Stallone.” – BSC Review
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  • “‘The Expendables’: The First Trailer: It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for… Action, wisecracks, action stars …  enjoy the trailer. We certainly did…” – Den of Geek
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  • “‘The Expendables’ Trailer: Stallone has wrapped up one of the most impressive casts I’ve seen in a long time…” Review St. Louis
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  •  “New ‘The Expendables’ Trailer is Full of Stallone, Statham, Li, Explosions: Sylvester Stallone knows what made action movies great in the ’80s, and he’s bringing that…” – Zap2It
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  • “‘The Expendables’ Trailer is Finally Here: Yes, it’s that time – The trailer for Sylvester Stallone’s THE EXPENDABLES is here and man, it looks like a lot of fun… – Rough Cut Reviews
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  • “Promo Trailer for ‘The Expendables’:  Honestly, how could one studio possibly contain this much awesome? It’s impossible… Big guns, big explosions, big fights, big action stars, and no discernible digital effects or girly men… need I say more? Sly Stallone has done action fans worldwide a tremendous service. This, folks, is how you make a full-blooded, manly action movie. – Kung Fu Cinema
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  • The Boys Are Back: We’d love to show you The Expendables sizzle reel that’s been making the rounds over the last 24 hours, but Lionsgate keeps trying to stamp it out. So here’s the Movieline summary, in case the video after the jump gets pulled: Jason Statham is sweaty, Sylvester Stallone is slurry, and Jet Li is chopsocky. Just how we like ‘em! – Movieline

Sly Still Has “Death Wish”?

Craig / / 2009, Death Wish

On October 15, 2009, Moviehole, posted about Jason Statham taking on Charles Bronson’s role in “The Mechanic” remake. There was also a tidbit about Sly telling Empire magazine that he’s still considering the Bronson role in the “Death Wish” remake.  Here’s a bit of what Sly had to say:

  • “I’m thinking about it… It’s a classic morality tale, where you take a civilised man and take away everything that matters to him so he becomes primitive again… The trouble with remakes is that people fall in love with the original. It’s like peanut butter. If you try to change the taste of peanut butter, you’re in trouble.”

You can read the full piece here. [Gerardo Moreno made the teaser photo which first appeared on the StalloneZone here.]