Category: Rocky 6

The following item appeared in the June 30, 2000 issue of USAToday:

Stars learn the phrase ‘Never say never’
By JOSH CHETWYND and ANDY SEILER, USA TODAY

Hit movies from the ’80s and early ’90s – and the actors who became stars in them – are trying to revive the magic.

HARRISON FORD is waiting for a script from M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN [“The Sixth Sense”] for a fourth Indiana Jones. SHARON STONE is ready to do Basic Instinct 2. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER is returning for a third Terminator. SYLVESTER STALLONE is “in talks” for Rocky 6. PAUL HOGAN is shooting a third “Crocodile” Dundee. And Under Siege 3 is being developed for STEVEN SEAGAL.

Many of the stars vowed they’d never go back. But now, with the possible exception of FORD, their signature characters are their best bet for a career boost.

“Their careers have not been as great as they once were,” says syndicated columnist MARYLIN BECK. “So they are more susceptible to offers to a sequel that – on the way up – they said they wouldn’t do.”

More old favorites might be returning without their original stars. Planet of the Apes is returning with MARK WAHLBERG in the CHARLTON HESTON role. Several producers are considering another Fletch, but someone younger than CHEVY CHASE likely would star. And writers are working on the script for Pink Panther 10, though attempts with ALAN ARKIN, TED WASS and ROBERTO BENIGNI in the late PETER SELLERS‘ role failed.

Why the rush to bring back old movies? Hollywood is not making good new ones, BECK says. “Ask somebody, ‘Seen any good movies this year?'” and their list probably begins and ends with Erin Brockovich and Gladiator. You have to hunt out the art houses to find the foreign films to watch a decent story. So Hollywood leans more and more on the tried and true.”

Rocky VI anyone? Thanks to Andrew for posting this item on the SZ message board as well!

– Craig Zablo

– which STALLONE imagines as a grittier, “Raging Bull”-type epic – finds the boxer, aging and broke, reentering the ring to raise money for a Christian youth association.”I’ve tried to emulate a few things in reality, such as the GEORGE FOREMAN story,” says STALLONE, noting, that like the real-life boxer who retired at 48 after a conteroversial ’97 defeat, Rocky is “probably going to lose.”

The 53-year-old actor wants to shoot VI pronto. “It’s already been ten years since “Rocky V,” says STALLONE. “What are you going to do, wait 20 years? It’s now or never.” Oh, but think of the dialogue: “Yo, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

– William Keck

Let’s hope that SLY and MGM reach an agreement and the movie is made. Rocky needs a better send-off than “V” provided.

– Craig Zablo (May 13, 2000)

CINESCAPE.com reports: “Word has it that SYLVESTER STALLONE may have given up on his “Rocky VI” project. IRWIN WINKLER (producer and longtime friend of SYLVESTER STALLONE) is quoted as saying, “SLY has the desire but he does not have the idea.”

The picture above and the article that follows appears in the May 19, 2000 issue of Entertainment Weekly.

In the right corner, fading action hero SYLVESTER STALLONE! In the left corner, intrigued but apparently wary studio MGM! The subject of their current scuffle? “Rocky VI.” You read right: Six!

Stallone tells EW he’s penned yet another script about everyone’s marble-mouthed meat pulverizer. An exec at MGM – which owns the 24-year-old franchise – says that the studio is “excited” to see the pages (despite Rocky V‘s relatively weak $41 million box office). But the star refuses to show MGM anything until it boosts its proposed $10 million budget. “We need at least $20 or $22 million,” says Stallone. “I mean, you gotta pay (Rocky‘s wife) TALIA SHIRE something.”

So what’s in those closely guarded pages? The movie – which STALLONE imagines as a grittier, “Raging Bull”-type epic – finds the boxer, aging and broke, reentering the ring to raise money for a Christian youth association. “I’ve tried to emulate a few things in reality, such as the GEORGE FOREMAN story,” says STALLONE, noting, that like the real-life boxer who retired at 48 after a conteroversial ’97 defeat, Rocky is “probably going to lose.”

The 53-year-old actor wants to shoot VI pronto. “It’s already been ten years since “Rocky V,” says STALLONE. “What are you going to do, wait 20 years? It’s now or never.” Oh, but think of the dialogue: “Yo, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” – William Keck

Let’s hope that SLY and MGM reach an agreement and the movie is made. Rocky needs a better send-off than “V” provided.
– Craig Zablo
[May 11. 2000]

On May 11th Entertainment Weekly OnLine ran a piece by WILLIAM KECK which quoted SYLVESTER STALLONE as saying that he’s finished a script for “Rocky VI” and would like to begin work on it as soon as he’s finished filming “Champs.” The only hold up at this point is whether or not MGM is willing to greenlight the film at the budget STALLONE needs ($22 million). SLY wants to do the film soon noting that “It’s already been ten years since Rocky V. It’s now or never.”

The news that SLY himself was talking about making a sixth “Rocky” also appeared at Cinescape, Ain’t It Cool News, and Dark Horizons.

As it stands now we know for certain that SLY wants to do a sixth “Rocky.” MGM was already interested. SLY and MGM should be able to reach an agreement on the budget. Twentytwo million doesn’t seem unreasonable, especially consider ing that “Rocky V” made $41 million (the lowest of amount in the series), and that was in 1991 dollars!