Sylvester Stallone reprises his role as Rocky Balboa in Ryan Coogler's "Creed." (Photo : Instagram/sylvesterstallone_)
Sylvester Stallone has revealed the reason why he was initially reluctant to be part of Ryan Coogler's upcoming sports drama film "Creed."
Stallone is set to play the role of Rocky Balboa in Coogler's forthcoming film. In his interview with The Los Angeles Times, the actor said that he had been "dead set" against it and he just had not ever seen taking the character into this realm. He added that his agent told him that he was "kind of a chicken" for a guy who played Balboa.
For Stallone, playing the role Balboa in his career had proven to be a giant success. The character had become a cultural sensation, which did not belong to him anymore.
According to Cinema Blend, Stallone's film "Rocky Balboa" in 2006 had been efficient to conclude the story arc of the titular character. Coogler's "Creed" is a perfect pitch for Stallone as Balboa to instill the lessons he had learned over the years to a fighter in the present generation.
Stallone's "Rocky Balboa" centered on Balboa as he came out of retirement 30 years after the ring of the first bell and donned his gloves for a final combat versus the reigning heavyweight champion Mason "The Line" Dixon.
Meanwhile, "Creed" follows former World Heavyweight Champion Balboa as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed. The film stars Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Maria Breyman, Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson, and Stallone as Balboa, among others.
With Coogler set to helm the film, Aaron Covington and Stallone are on board to co-pen the film script. Robert Chartoff, William Chartoff, Nicolas Stern, Kevin King Templeton, David Winkler, and Irwin Winkler are set to co-produce the film.
Coogler's "Creed" is slated to premiere in theaters in the United States on Nov. 25.
