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Sylvester Stallone pumped for potential 'Rocky' prequel, shares handwritten treatment
Sly gets what Sly wants.
When it comes to the Rocky franchise, the reason Sylvester Stallone gets what he wants is because he takes matters directly into his own hands from scratch. The 74-year-old actor is still passionate about Rocky Balboa, as he posted to Instagram his handwritten treatment for a potential Rocky prequel "for streaming" with "ideally 10 episodes for a few seasons to really get to the heart of the characters in there (sic) younger years":
Stallone shared a follow-up 'Gram Tuesday afternoon with cleaner, typed-up notes and dialogue. "I KNOW my handwriting is very awkward," he captioned. "But so what it achieved the goal. But I decided to show a little bit more of the creative process for Rocky Prequel but this time it's a lot more legible... Tell me what you think. I'm excited. MGM is excited. Hope you are too. KeepPunching."
So, all signs point toward a green light.
Stallone first portrayed the iconic underdog boxer in 1976's Rocky, which he wrote and for which he was Oscar-nominated in the best actor in a leading role category.
The film took home three Oscars and resonated so popularly with audiences that Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1984) and Rocky V (1990) followed. Stallone stepped into directorial duties for the second, third and fourth installments before John G. Avildsen returned for the fifth. However, Stallone then directed and wrote Rocky Balboa (2006), which saw the titular character come out of retirement for a final heavyweight bout.
The franchise then pivoted in 2015 to Ryan Coogler's Creed , starring Michael B. Jordan opposite Stallone as an adjacent continuation of Rocky's storied rivalry with Apollo Creed. Adonis Johnson (Jordan) is Creed's son, and Rocky serves as his mentor.
Most recently, Creed II hit theaters in November 2018:
All of which is to say: Stallone has logged way more than 10,000 hours exploring these characters, so his prequel—should it see the light of day—at the very least deserves a fighting chance.
More must-reads:
- 20 A-list actors who said no to filming a sequel to a hit film
- 25 iconic movie cameos that viewers did not see coming
- Off beat: The worst films starring musicians
- 20 iconic films everyone should watch at least once
- 20 actors who played multiple roles in the same movie
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The Milwaukee Brewers' trade with the Boston Red Sox early in the season flew under the radar. The Brewers acquired former top prospect Quinn Priester from the Red Sox, sending outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez to Boston on April 7. Pitching prospect John Holobetz was sent to the Red Sox on May 5 to complete the trade. Priester had been expected to be a top-of-the-rotation arm, lauded for his athleticism and plus fastball and curve. However, he struggled during his time in the majors in 2023 and 2024, posting a combined 6.23 ERA and a 1.555 WHiP over 99.2 innings, striking out 69 batters with 41 walks while serving up 19 home runs. Despite a solid outing in his only appearance for the Red Sox, Priester remained in Triple-A as nothing more than pitching depth. That changed with his arrival in Milwaukee. He has exceeded expectations, either as a traditional starter or following an opener. Priester has posted a 3.15 ERA and a 1.190 WHiP over his 114.1 innings for the Brewers, striking out 93 batters with 38 walks. Opponents have mustered a meager .228/.294/.382 batting line in 471 plate appearances with just 13 homers. The Brewers' 64-48 record entering Tuesday is the best in the majors despite a nondescript rotation. While Freddy Peralta is a top-of-the-rotation arm in his own right, staff ace Brandon Woodruff missed all of 2024 and most of the first half of 2025. Pitchers such as Chad Patrick, Tobias Myers and Jose Quintana are back-of-the-rotation arms at this point. The Brewers needed someone to step up with Priester being the unlikely hero. Pitchers Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler are the prohibitive favorites to win the National League Cy Young Award. BetMGM does not have Priester listed as one of the 10 most likely candidates to take home the hardware. However, Priester's performance, coupled with the Brewers' success this season, is worthy of attention. If he can continue to perform at this level, Priester deserves at least some consideration on the ballot.
Yankees quickly pull plug on key trade-deadline acquisition
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Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
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