Overview
- In a new GQ interview, Sylvester Stallone says he declined Creed for two to three years because an early draft had Rocky die from ALS.
- Director Ryan Coogler and co-writer Aaron Covington revised the story to a Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma battle in which Rocky survives, which led Stallone to agree.
- Stallone explains he opposes on-screen deaths for iconic characters and prefers leaving their futures open.
- He calls the mentor turn a demanding dramatic role without fighting, and he later earned a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for Creed.
- Stallone praises Michael B. Jordan, who fronted two sequels and is attached to star and direct Creed IV, which has no release date, while opinion coverage frames the rewrite as pivotal for the franchise.