After Sylvester Stallone’s demands for rights to his Rocky franchise, a statement by Michael B. Jordan might be hinting that Stallone is getting strangled out of his franchise.

Sylvester Stallone created what today is one of the most successful franchises of all time, Rocky. Not only did he create, star, and write the entire story, but his exceptionally curated franchise has also given birth to its very successful spinoff Creed. With another spinoff centered around the Drago family, the franchise is only getting bigger by the minute.

Sylvester Stallone (@officialslystallone | Instagram)

Despite being the mind behind all these characters, Stallone was missing from the third Creed movie. And a statement by Michael B. Jordan seems to be hinting that there are larger forces at play behind Stallone’s absence. This might be true since the actor and producer Irwin Winkler have been for a long time engaged in a feud regarding Rocky’s rights.

Is Sylvester Stallone Getting Pushed Out Of Rocky Franchise?

Stallone in Rocky (1976)

Rocky was the brainchild of a struggling young actor in the 1970s. Unaware of how much of a leverage he had, Sylvester Stallone signed away the rights to the movie. When the first one was a blockbuster, the actor realized his mistake but was told he had already been paid enough (via Variety).

The feud turned ugly when Stallone posted on Instagram about how he was robbed of the rights to his creation by the franchise’s producer Irwin Winkler back in 2022. Since then, their clash has only escalated, which might be why he was missing from Creed 3, despite earning an Oscar nomination for a previous appearance.

This brings us to the question of whether Stallone is being pushed out of his own franchise. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Michael B. Jordan, star of Creed, revealed the reason why ‘Rocky’ was missing from the third installment,

“There are obviously politics that go beyond me..Sly is a producer on this, and his essence of Rocky and Sly will always be throughout the Creed franchise. We just felt like it was the best way to move forward.”

While he stated that the focus was more on Adonis and not on the Rocky-Adonis relationship, it seems that Stallone might have left it for good.

Would Sylvester Stallone Ever Return In Rocky Spin-Offs?

Michael B. Jordan and Stallone in Creed

Michale B. Jordan had maintained that Creed 3 would be a movie more focused on Adonis’s life, bringing him forward on his own two feet (via HOT97). While Stallone in his interview with The Hollywood Reporter stated creative differences as the main reason.

But soon enough, things went ugly as the Rambo star’s and producer Winkler’s Rocky rights debate reignited. Ever since then, Stallone has maintained that he wants some if not all the rights to leave to his children, w which according to him might never really happen. So, would he ever return to the franchise, especially since another spin-off is being planned?

In an interview with SiriusXM, he stated,

“Now, if Michael B. Jordan — we come up with a story, I’ll do ‘Creed IV’ with him… As long as the other fellow [Winkler] is not involved.”

With Creed 4 in pre-production, only time will tell how this issue comes to an end.