There’s something for everyone in the Rocky franchise. For those after Oscar-winning prestige cinema and romance, there’s the original film. If you crave a goofy popcorn flick featuring Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, Rocky III has you covered. Looking for a hard-hitting contemporary story about race and class? Creed is the only option. But if you want what’s basically the 1980s distilled into a single movie, it’s difficult to beat Rocky IV.
This finds Rocky Balboa squaring off against Ivan Drago, the USSR’s finest boxer. The pair represent their nations in a titanic battle of East vs. West, with Rocky also seeking to avenge the death of his former rival Apollo Creed. It’s an extremely cheesy tale that’s worlds away from the down-at-heel realism the story began with, perhaps best demonstrated by Rocky’s friend Paulie now having a robot girlfriend.
Earlier this summer, Sylvester Stallone surprised us all by announcing that he was working on a director’s cut of Rocky IV. Revealed via a post on Instagram, the actor/director said:
“For the 35th anniversary Rocky 4 Is getting a new DIRECTORS cut by me. So far it looks great. Soulful.. Thank you MGM For this opportunity to entertain.”
Now, BossLogic has released a new fan poster showcasing the project and the rivalry between Balboa and Drago, and you check it out down below:
Since that announcement, we’ve had good news and bad news. On the positive side, footage of the re-edited fights indicates that the new cut isn’t pulling any punches. But sadly, Stallone has revealed that he never liked Paulie’s robot girlfriend and she’s “going to the junkyard forever.” Fans have pleaded with him to keep the character, but he’s adamant that she won’t be in it. Boo.
We currently don’t have a release date for the Rocky IV director’s cut, but Stallone has said he’s “almost done,” so I’m guessing it’ll be soon.