Sylvester Stallone's rights dispute

Sylvester Stallone, who created the Rocky character in 1976, has never owned the rights to the Rocky franchise despite its long-term success. The dispute over ownership has reportedly caused tension with Irwin Winkler, the original producer of the series, and his son David.

Stallone's public criticisms

Stallone has openly criticized members of the Winkler family, including a deleted Instagram post in 2025 where he called David Winkler "painfully lacking in talent" and Irwin Winkler "remarkably lacking in talent and parasitic." These comments were reported by Far Out in 2025.

Stallone's views on the Creed franchise

Stallone expressed frustration over the development of the Creed franchise, which follows Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed. He was not involved in Creed III, released in 2023, and criticized its artistic direction. He claimed that without Winkler, there could have been at least three more Rocky films.

Conflict over a new spin-off film

The dispute resurfaced with the announcement of a spin-off film titled Drago, focusing on Ivan Drago, Rocky's opponent in Rocky IV. Stallone opposed the project, accusing Winkler of exploiting the franchise without giving him the recognition he felt he deserved.

Stallone's admission of defeat

In an article published by Yahoo Finance in October 2026, Stallone admitted he had given up on reclaiming the rights to his famous franchise, despite numerous attempts. This came as Hollywood prepared to revisit the origins of the Rocky saga with I Play Rocky, a film by Peter Farrelly, which portrays young Stallone.

Availability of Rocky and Creed films

The six Rocky films, from 1976 to Rocky Balboa (2006), are available on Prime Video. The first Creed film can be found on Canal+. The various films are also available on VOD platforms.