The saga of Rocky may not be down for the count just yet. After six hugely successful films from Sylvester Stallone following the scrappy Philly boxer, the franchise inspired a spinoff series showing the aging Rocky Balboa as a coach to Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of his former rival. Now, per a new post via his official Instagram account, Stallone may be going back in time to explore Rocky’s world before he became a boxing champ.
Stallone posted a photo alongside the caption, "I started out this morning by writing a treatment for a Rocky prequel For streaming. Ideally 10 episodes for a few seasons to really get to the heart of the Characters in there [sic] younger years." He also included pictures of two handwritten pages titled “Treatment for Rocky prequel series.”
“Imagine a time machine that will simply transport us back to the origins of Rocky,” Stallone wrote in surprisingly neat cursive, "a cinematic world brimming with characters that have been beloved by people around the world for nearly five decades!"
The Rambo star continued his treatment by writing that the potential show would take viewers to “the most transformative generation in Modern history: The Sixties.” Stallone then listed some pivotal events to explore in Rocky’s younger years, such as the moon landing, the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War (and the “Vietnam disaster”) and the feminist movement. “Needless to say,” Stallone added at the end of the list, “The 60s was [sic] a dynamic time.”
Sly wrote that he imagines the series looking at the “rather plain life” of Robert “Rocky” Balboa among “all This Social Seismic Activity [sic].” He continued, “When we first met Rocky in 1976, he was a very lost soul-a forgotten man, a wasted life until he was transformed into a winner. We now see this young man struggling like all young people trying to find their place.”
Stallone offered no thoughts on who could play the younger Rocky. His son, Seargeoh, at 42 would probably be too old for the role (even though he had an uncredited part in Rocky II as Rocky's newborn son), so that leaves the door open for actors who can punch and affect a convincing Philly accent. Stallone wrapped up his IG post by stating, “Here is a small portion of how my Creative [sic] process starts…Hope it happens.” He added he then went fishing to clear his head.
No doubt all the major streamers would love to take a swing at a Rocky prequel series, given Stallone’s track record. After all, he’s the only actor to score a number one film across five decades. Check out his Instagram post below.