Sylvester Stallone is Conflicted About Bringing Rocky Back For CREED II

Ryan Coogler's Creed was an excellent example of how to continue the story of a classic film character while also making a movie that feels vital and necessary instead of like a studio deciding to go through the motions. Not long ago, star Sylvester Stallone (who received an Oscar nomination for playing former heavyweight boxer Rocky Balboa in the movie) was talking about how Creed II might include flashbacks to Rocky and Apollo Creed's heyday. But last night, Stallone seemed to change his tune.

The actor was at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival last night to accept the Montecito award, and while he was there, someone asked him about Creed II. Here's what he said, according to Variety:

“I really have mixed feelings about this, seriously,” he said. “I feel like Rocky, at the end of this movie on the steps, with the help of a young man, and he looks out and says, ‘From here, you can see your whole life’ — it sort of summarizes the whole thing. I don’t know how much further you can push Rocky."

That sounds like he might want to call it a day with that character and let him go out on a high note. The studio has already scheduled the sequel to arrive in 2017, meaning that Coogler won't be able to come back and direct since he'll be busy helming Marvel's Black Panther. Marvel officially hired Coogler after Sly's comments about the story for the new sequel, so now that it's a confirmed reality that the young filmmaker won't be back to direct, is Stallone feeling a little shaky about entrusting his legacy to another director? Rocky has to have his final appearance at some point, and I think Stallone wants that to be on his own terms instead of having a Rocky V situation again. There's tremendous public approval of the character right now, and it's risky to bring him back at all. I'd be totally fine if he announced that Creed was going to be the character's final appearance, and I wouldn't blame him at all if he made that decision.

We'll have to see how much he believes in the script, and who eventually comes on board to direct this sequel. Do you want to see Stallone bring Balboa back to the big screen again?