The "Rocky" Franchise

[muthagoose]

According to Moviehole.net, "The one-time poster boy for gold-chains, Mr T, will return to the film series that helped kick off his career. The former "A-Team" star will reprise his role as boxer Clubber Lang in Rocky 6, opposite Sylvester Stallone.

The tough-talking 80's icon confirmed his involvement in the sequel on radio's Howard Stern show. In the new movie, Clubber Lang - who played Rocky Balboa's opponent in "Rocky III" - will now be a commentator.

Lang mightn't be the only series star making a comeback in the new sequel. The characters of Duke (played by Tony Burton in the films) and Paulie (played by Burt Young in all the flicks) are also reportedly pencilled in to return. Dolph's still waiting for his invo.

[mavhimself]

then who's going to play stallone since nowadays he looks like he's wearing a halloween mask that looks like stallone. also are rocky and thunderlips going to wrestle again in a geriatric match. they just need to bring back all the good stuff about the series, somehow jam clubber, thunderlips, tommy gunn's manager, rocky's fruity kid from 5, drago, and apollo and let the fun begin.

mav himself.

[muthagoose]

Sylvester Stallone, will direct and reprise his role as Rocky Balboa, in the sixth installment of the boxing franchise, according to Production Weekly. Rocky 6 begins shooting this December in Los Angeles. Lonely and at loose ends, retired boxer Rocky Balboa comes out of retirement, intending to fight a few low-profile local fights just to keep his hand in. But when he's approached to fight a match with reigning heavyweight champion Mason "The Line" Dixon (rumored to be Shaquille O'Neal), Rocky's modest little comeback becomes the center of a media firestorm.

[Count Grande]

Its gonna be the SHIT!!!

[muthagoose]

‘Rocky 6’? Stallone signs on for another round

LOS ANGELES - Sylvester Stallone is signing on to reprise his role as boxer Rocky Balboa in the sixth installment of the long-running film series, which he wrote and will direct.

The film, titled “Rocky Balboa,” will be co-produced and co-financed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios and will be distributed by Columbia Pictures.



Stallone has been trying to make a sixth movie for years and has been reworking a script. The latest version, which sources said is similar to the tone and grit of the first two movies, persuaded the studios to negotiate a deal.

“In many ways, the screenplay really took me back to the original ‘Rocky,”’ Revolution Studios founder Joe Roth said in a statement. “As a past champion, Rocky Balboa is once again a regular guy who has to find himself and deal with real life. This film brings Rocky’s story full circle.”

In the new installment, Rocky, lonely and retired in Philadelphia, comes out of retirement, intending to fight a few low-profile local fights. He’s approached to fight a match with reigning heavyweight champ Mason “The Line” Dixon, and soon his comeback ignites a media firestorm.

“’Rocky Balboa’ is about everybody who feels they want to participate in the race of life, rather than be a bystander,” Stallone said in a statement. “You’re never too old to climb a mountain, if that’s your desire.”

Shooting is scheduled to begin in December in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Stallone received Academy Award nominations for starring in and writing “Rocky,” and the 1976 MGM film won an Oscar for best picture, best director (John G. Avildsen) and best editing (Richard Halsey, Scott Conrad). The movie grossed $117.3 million at the domestic boxoffice, making Stallone a film star and creating one of cinema’s most famous characters.

It also launched one of the most successful film series of all time. 1979’s “Rocky II” grossed $85 million, and 1982’s “Rocky III,” which featured Mr. T, grossed $120.2 million. “Rocky IV,” with Dolph Lundgren, made $125.4 million after its 1985 release. By the decade’s close, however, audiences seemed to have tired of the character. “Rocky V,” released in 1990, made only $40 million.

“Rocky Balboa” is the first film to be green-lit by MGM since it was acquired by Sony Corp.

[LotB]

I'm still more interested in seeing "Rambo IV" myself, though Rocky will still be cool to watch. The theme music has come back to me and stuck in my head as I type this.

[muthagoose]

I know you're all dying to know some more details about ROCKY 6, the latest in the franchise that will start filming in December. Courtesy of a recent casting call for the film, we have some details. Now that Adrian has moved on to that big boxing ring in the sky, the Rockster has a new gal in his life, Marie. And how's this for a twist: she's got a son! Didn't see that one coming... His name is Steps (don't ask cause I don't even know...) described as a "sullen" teen whose life finds new meaning when Rocky takes an interest in him. Think the cliches end there? Oh no... How about the old, grizzled trainer who stresses there's more to fighting than just throwing punches? Check. The posse made up of "African-American homeboys" (their words, not mine)? Check. The young guy being groomed to take over for an ailing senior, in this case Paulie? Check. The group of locals who root for the hero in his quest for glory? Check. In other news, Rocky's son is now working for a high-tech company and dating the CEO's daughter. Paulie, working at a meat-packing plant, is living with Rocky but eventually moves out to live with his girlfriend. There also seem to be a bunch of people who like messing with Rocky like High Woman and her "goonish" friend Leader who taunt Rocky and Marie at a bar (it is implied Rocky kicks their asses). And local sportsmen seem to be taking a liking to bashing Rocky as well. And finally, my favorite character is Dr. Paco who has telling words about Rocky's comeback saying that it's a "tragedy in the making." Truer words couldn't be spoken.

[Count Grande]

The new family storyline sounds like a small south philly version of Step by Step... I just wanna see him beat the shit out some one while that old school music plays in the background!

[Captain Obvious]

Nick, dude, I went ahead and fixed your previous post for you, I hope I got the jist of what you were trying to say...

threedollarkid said:

Its gonna be SHIT!!!

Was I right??

[Count Grande]

AH, Little Milly Boo... my post was correct... but thanks for being motherly and looking out for me... woman.

LONG LIVE ROCKY!... except for the beginning and middle parts of Rocky V

[muthagoose]

Jeeeezz.... is there any wonder why there are ads for gay cruises on the board these days!?!!!

[Count Grande]

Bc of MASON?

[Captain Obvious]

Hey now, Nick and I can't be blamed for ALL the homosexuality on the boards, most of it, but not ALL of it

[Count Grande]

Yeah! Thats right Milligan....



Wait a second....

[stallion]

I could buy 50+ Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in T3. Hell, I loved the movie. But I cannot buy a damn-near-60 Stallone getting in the damn ring again. I know he needs a big payday, but this is absurd. Especially after reading that description about Rocky's girlfriend and the nasty black gangs. And Shaq as the boxing champ? Sweet Jesus. I thought it couldn't get any worse when Rocky was trying to give the tough guy speech to his kid while pulling quarters out of his ears in Rocky V. Then again, the Rocky saga shouldn't end to an Elton John song. Do yourself a favor and do a web search for "Rocky 6 Script". Some dude wrote one and it's pretty good. Better than this movie's shaping up, that's for damn sure. At least name the champ Brandon "Hand in the Lap" Mason. "Rocky! Lemme get at your underage daughter! What? It's Sage Stallone? He looks like a girl! I'm CRAAAAAAZY!"

[stallion]

I spoke too soon......Rambo IV is Stallone's next project after Rocky VI. This reminds me of a Diceman joke-"Little Boy blew-He needed the money! Ow!"

[muthagoose]

Rocky Balboa has a new bambino. Milo Ventimiglia (pic below) has signed on to play Sylvester Stallone's adult son in Rocky Balboa, the fourth Rocky film, which is being co-produced and co-financed by MGM, Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

In the sixth installment about the mythic Philadelphia boxer, Rocky has long since retired but is drawn back to the ring one last time. He is challenged by a powerful new champion, by personal tragedy and ultimately by himself. Rocky's son, Rocky Balboa Jr., was first introduced into the franchise in "Rocky II," when his birth was a pivotal moment in the film. The role most recently was filled by Stallone's real-life son, Sage Stallone, in "Rocky V."

[Captain Obvious]

Is that Frank Stallone Jr. in that pic???

[muthagoose]

Forever the underdog

YES, as implausible as it might seem, Rocky Balboa is back for Round 6. Though the script certainly doesn't dance around the fact that the Italian Stallion is stepping back into the ring in his twilight years, Sylvester Stallone's decision to get back into the ring has become the fodder for countless jokes.

David Letterman's "Top Ten List" was among the first to take dead aim: "Constantly says 'Yo, Adrian, got my Lipitor?' " went one zinger. "After tapping hands with other fighter, says, 'Not so hard!' " went another. A writer quipped in the Miami Herald: "Historians are calling it irrefutable proof that mankind has officially run out of good ideas." And one Internet message board posed the question: "Shouldn't Rocky have massive brain damage by now from getting hit in the head way too much just like Ali?"

Enough with the "Rocky" jokes already, complained Joe Roth, who heads Revolution Studios, which along with Sony Pictures and its new banner, MGM, is producing the new Rocky picture. "You can't turn on television without someone making fun of it," he said. "Jokes like, 'Who's he going to fight, Alan Alda?' Or, 'Who's he going to fight, an HMO?' … It's very easy to be cynical."



Roth said he expected the announcement to trigger some humor, but added: "I'm surprised at the vehemence [toward the new Rocky project]. I don't want to believe people can be that nasty. They should reserve judgment, frankly, at least, until they read the script."

THE SCRIPT...

The script for "Rocky Balboa" has the over-the-hill Balboa taking on the reigning heavyweight boxing champ Mason "The Line" Dixon. Both men are trying to restore their dignity: Dixon because he's reviled by fight fans for taking on unproven opponents; Rocky because its been years since the aging boxer from South Philly has climbed into a ring

The film, with Stallone as star and director, begins principal photography Dec. 3 at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas. The cameras will be recording crowd scenes that night at the real-life Bernard Hopkins-Jermaine Taylor middleweight title rematch for use in the movie.

It's the sixth installment in the landmark "Rocky" franchise. The original, released in 1976, won three Academy Awards, including best picture, and touched an emotional chord with moviegoers worldwide for its heroic tale of the small-time Philadelphia boxer who tries to prove he can go the distance with heavyweight champion Apollo Creed.

But in the intervening years, the "Rocky" sequels — "Rocky V" premiered 15 years ago — like Stallone himself, have see-sawed in box office popularity until now both are seen as icons of a bygone era.

Stallone stunned the world last month with the announcement that not only would he make "Rocky Balboa," but, at age 59, he also would reprise his role as former Vietnam vet and one-man army John J. Rambo in "Rambo IV," which is scheduled to begin production sometime in the spring.

Roth said that from a financial standpoint, "Rocky Balboa" makes perfect sense. The production budget on the 38-day shoot is projected to be $24 million — less than half what the average studio film costs these days. And though Stallone's North American box office appeal may have tanked in recent years with a string of forgettable films such as "Shade," "Driven" and "Get Carter," the actor continues to have strong audience appeal overseas, as does the character of Rocky.

Certainly in the early years, the franchise was lucrative. The original "Rocky" grossed $117.2 million domestically, with "Rocky II" grossing $85.2 million, "Rocky III" $125 million and "Rocky IV" $127.9 million. But by 1990, the onetime champ was on the ropes as "Rocky V's" domestic gross dropped to $41 million.

"It's interesting how Rocky and Sylvester have been so inextricably connected over the years," said Robert Chartoff, who, with Irwin Winkler, produced all the previous Rocky movies. "People see him as Rocky, to some extent.

"We are very aware that it has been many years since 'Rocky' was made," added Chartoff, who, along with Winkler and Stallone, will serve as executive producer on the new film. "There is going to be a new audience seeing it. Our criterion in making this film is to have it stand on its own. It has qualities to be a wonderful motion picture just because of what it is, not just because it's a sequel to 'Rocky.' "

Revolution says there are plans for a special DVD collection next year to mark the 30th anniversary of "Rocky," which should help boost awareness of "Rocky Balboa," currently scheduled for release during the President's Day holiday in 2007.

Stallone will be getting a smaller upfront fee to star and direct the film, those sources add, but should the film become a global blockbuster, there are back-end deals that would allow him to profit handsomely.

It wasn't the modest production cost that sold Roth on the "Rocky Balboa" project. He said Stallone's script harks back to the original.

It opens with Dixon (Antonio Tarver is set for the part) in the ring landing a blow on an opponent's chin, sending the other boxer to the canvas. But rather than cheer, the crowd reacts with loud booing and hurls ice at Dixon's corner. "Another disappointing title defense," says the ringside commentator. The next scene finds Rocky seated on an old folding chair in a graveyard where his wife, Adrian, is buried. Seated nearby is Rocky's brother-in-law, Paulie. Rocky rises, kisses the headstone and leaves. (Producers say Burt Young will return as Paulie and Talia Shire will reprise her role as Adrian in flashbacks.)

With these two contrasting, emotionally charged scenes, Stallone reintroduces us to Rocky Balboa and his world, setting the stage for what is surely one of the most improbable comebacks in boxing history.

Rocky's "wife has died, he's alone, he's an embarrassment to his son, he has nothing to lose and is desperate to not make a third act of his life go in anonymity," Roth said.

The bittersweet script has Rocky living in a fast-changing world, but still driven to prove himself, even if it elicits ridicule from those around him.

Rocky now owns a restaurant in the South Philly neighborhood where he grew up, posing for photos with fans who trickle in urging him to tell a few "stories" about the good ol' days when he fought Apollo Creed. The old neighborhood is changing. Asians have replaced the Italians. Rocky orders cheeses from a Vietnamese vendor, lettuce and other produce from a Korean vendor. Rocky's son, Robert Jr. (played by Milo Ventimiglia), now works for a big corporation. And he doesn't have time for his old man.

Then, one day ESPN telecasts a computer-generated recreation of great athletes of different eras competing against one another in a simulated ring contest. One matchup pits southpaw slugger Rocky Balboa against current champ, Dixon.

It spawns an idea in Dixon's camp for an exhibition bout. And Rocky, of course, is up for the challenge.

Stallone tackles the age issue head-on in the script. At one point, his son asks Rocky: "Don't you think you're too — ya know, old?" Rocky replies: "Yeah but ya think ya oughta stop 'trying things' 'cause ya had a few too many birthdays? I don't." He adds: "What's crazy with standin' toe to toe sayin' 'I AM.' "

One of Rocky's biggest hurdles is getting the approval of the state boxing commission. Even though he passes the physical, the commission still balks, which provokes this exchange between a commissioner and Rocky:

"We're only looking out for your interests," the commissioner says.

"Yeah, I appreciate it," Rocky replies, "but I think you're lookin' out for your interests a little — I mean, you shouldn't be askin' people to pay the freight, an' they pay it, an' still it ain't good enough?! Think that's right? Maybe ya doin' your job, but why ya gotta stop me from doin' mine, cause if ya willin' to go through all the battlin' ya gotta go through to get to where ya wanna get, ain't nobody got the right to stop ya!"



The script was already written when Roth came on board. Roth said he was attending a New Year's Eve party last year at the One & Only Palmilla resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, when he happened to run into Stallone.

"I don't know Stallone very well, just enough to say 'Hello,' " recalled Roth. "But he knows I'm a boxing fan and a big fan of his ['Rocky'] movie. He told me he had written a script for a new 'Rocky' and wondered if I would be interested in reading it."

As fate would have it, Roth said, "Rocky" co-producer Winkler walked into the same party about an hour later and the project soon took off. "He believed, as we believed, that the time could be right for another 'Rocky.' "

[stallion]

Good article. I really am starting to believe that Rocky VI can be a solid addition to the series and make up for the lackluster Rocky V. I just don't know how believable it can be to have a 60-year old Balboa fight the heavyweight champ. In Rocky I he was at least 30 and that was in '76. Assuming they follow continuity (which they didn't in Rocky V considering his son was 6 when he left for Russia in Rocky IV and about 13 when he came back a few weeks later in the beginning of Rocky V), that would make Rocky approximately 60. Like a 60-year old man could get a boxing license. Maybe I'm thinking too much about it. Should be entertaining, regardless. Would have been cool if they had Ving Rhames play his character from "Undisputed" as the opponent, though.

[muthagoose]

Today Sony announced that Rocky Balboa (Rocky 6) will hit theaters on February 9th, 2007.



"The Original Rocky"

[muthagoose]

Hundreds in Philadelphia Show Up for 'Rocky' Casting Call

PHILADELPHIA — No one had to sprint up the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps or spar in a meat locker. All the hundreds of fans who packed the Philadelphia streets Saturday for an open casting call for extras for the new "Rocky" movie needed was a picture, a resume and a simple message that would have made the fictional ex-champ proud: "Yo, pick me!"

From the old to the beautiful, wannabe actors, aspiring models and regular folks grumbled their best "Yo, Adrian!" impressions at Heery Casting, trying to land a spot as an extra in the sixth — yes, sixth! — "Rocky" movie.

Don't tell them the world doesn't need another Rocky comeback.

Fifteen years after starring in "Rocky V," Sylvester Stallone is reprising his role as the boxing champ from South Philadelphia in the upcoming movie "Rocky Balboa."

Stallone told the Daily Variety trade magazine that the movie will focus on an aging, widowed Rocky who is reluctant to get back in the ring but ends up doing it "just to compete, not to win."

Casting director Diane Heery said filming has already started in Las Vegas and is expected to start in Philadelphia on Jan. 9 and last about four weeks. Stallone would pick many of the extras needed for scenes shot in various city locations, Heery said.

"They want the character and personality of Philadelphia," Heery said. "We're looking for the face to tell the story of Philadelphia. We're looking for real people."

Maybe that face belonged to someone like Vernon Ruffin, puffing a cigar in a camouflage jacket and sporting a super-sized afro. Ruffin, who said he just wanted to tell his kids he tried out for a "Rocky" movie, thought he had the look the casting directors wanted.

"I'd be good for the urban spin, South Philly and everything," he said.

Some were dressed in red, white and blue hats and shirts, there were women with model looks, and there were men with keg-shaped bodies and slicked hair adorned with enough gold chains to make former Rocky villain Clubber Lang blush.

Heery gave the same speech about a dozen times an hour to the 50 or so fans brought in at a time off the street: a brief synopsis of the movie, start dates and the expectations of the 12-plus hour days they should be expected to work.

The actors listed some basic personal information, left a photo and filed out. They'll be hoping for a phone call in the next couple of weeks, telling them they'll get to go the distance with Stallone. Or at least stand near him.

About one or two lucky actors out of about every 200 hopefuls were picked to audition for a speaking part.

One of them was 6-foot-4, 290-pound tough guy Bill Duff, of Delran, N.J., who recently finished a role as former Philadelphia Eagle Stan Walters in the football movie "Invincible." Duff played in the NFL, in Europe and the XFL before trying to make it as an actor.

With his shaved head covered by a winter cap with a skull on the front, and a goatee that makes him look a bit like pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, Duff thought he could be cast as a bar patron or bully.

"This is the look they're looking for if they need a street hood," Duff said. "I'm really shooting for a speaking role, but if you can get your face seen, you get your face seen."

The would-be extras with the eye of the tiger waited their turns in a line that snaked its way around the streets of the Old City neighborhood, bundled up for the hour or so spent on a windy, 30-degree day.

"I'm a local actor just trying to get some more work," said Rachel Holt, who said she worked on "Jersey Girl." "I would prefer some sort of speaking role, if I'm lucky enough."

Like Rocky going against Apollo Creed in the first movie, some were simply underdogs wanting to take their shot at the big time.

"I thought it would be a ball," Lynn Szafran said. "How can you be from Philly and not love the "Rocky" movies?"

[muthagoose]

ESPN writes: Fans cheer as Sylvester Stallone, center, acts in a scene being shot for the film "Rocky Balboa," the next installment in the "Rocky" series, before the Jermain Taylor-Bernard Hopkins undisputed world middleweight championship bout, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005, in Las Vegas. Actor Milo Ventimiglia, right, plays Rocky's son.



More Pics: search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=stallone&page=images

[Kid Rick]

www.imdb.com/title/tt0065904/

Speaking of the Itallion Stallion.....check this shit out!!

[muthagoose]

A BELFAST actress has landed a leading role in a Hollywood movie opposite Sylvester Stallone.

Geraldine Hughes, who has been receiving rave reviews in the US for her one-woman show about life in Belfast, will play Stallone's love interest in Rocky Balboa, the sixth and final film in his boxing series.

In the new Stallone movie, she recreates the character of Little Marie, who appeared in the first Rocky.

The boxer meets up with Little Marie again, who has a son called Steps.

Marie is down on her luck and Rocky offers her a job in his restaurant.

He also offers a guiding role to Marie's young son, who is in need of fatherly advice.

Stallone's own son Sage will not be reprising his role as Rocky's son for the new film.

Geraldine (34), who is based in Los Angeles, has taken the States by storm with her play Belfast Blues.

The off-Broadway show features over 20 different characters, all of which are played by Hughes.

It tells the story of growing up in west Belfast during the Troubles and touches on childhood memories, violence and issues such as family and religion.

Her move into Hollywood movies is considered a unusual departure for Hughes, who began performing on stage as a schoolgirl in shows like Oliver Twist.

But a Hollywood insider said: "She's done well on stage and particularly on Broadway, but if you want to make it as an actor, you need to conquer Hollywood."

Hughes was chosen at the age of 13 out of 2,500 girls by an American director to star in the 1984 television movie Children In The Crossfire.

She left her home in Northern Ireland and moved to the States, which she immediately fell in love with.

After graduating from high school she decided to attend UCLA's School of Theatre, Film and Television.