Rocky IV star Dolph Lundgren clarified his involvement in the upcoming spinoff about Ivan Drago and his son.
In a post shared to his Instagram account, the action star not only disputed any confirmation about Drago's production but also addressed confusion regarding the involvement of the franchise star, Sylvester Stallone. "Just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spinoff," Lundgren said. "There's no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor. There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr. Balboa - just so all the fans can relax…There ya go."
It was Stallone who discovered the Swedish actor in 1985 when he was cast as the unstoppable Russian fighter in Rocky IV. The two actors' friendship carried through multiple projects including The Expendables film franchise and 2018's Creed II, where Lundgren reprised his Rocky IV role as Ivan Drago.
Sylvester Stallone Hits Back on Drago Reports
Since the announcement of Drago, Stallone publicly slammed the project in his ongoing feud over franchise profits with Rocky and Creed producer Irwin Winkler and Winkler's children, Charles and David, who the actor claimed were "once again picking clean THE BONES of another wonderful character I created without even telling me" with the Drago project. "I APOLOGIZE to the FANS, I never wanted ROCKY characters to be exploited by these parasites…," Stallone wrote in an Instagram post. "By the way, I once [had] nothing but respect for Dolph but he NEVER told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him !!! REAL FRIENDS Are more precious than gold."
In 1985's Rocky IV, Ivan Drago accepts a challenge to an exhibition bout against former champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). However, the fight takes a tragic turn when Drago's powerful blows result in Creed's death in the ring. To avenge his former rival-turned-friend, Stallone's Rocky Balboa travels to Russia to face Drago and ultimately defeated him in front of the entire nation. The Rocky/Drago story continued in 2018's Creed II as Apollo Creed's son Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) seeks closure for the past when he faces Drago's son Viktor (Florian Munteanu).
Lundgren previously announced a Drago spinoff in November 2021 following the release of Stallone's Rocky IV director's cut, Rocky vs. Drago. While Lundgren's recent comments create more confusion about the spinoff's status, the Rocky cinematic universe will continue with Creed III which is set for release on March 3, 2023. Jordan and co-star Tessa Thompson will reprise their roles for the film, though Stallone will not be returning as Rocky.
Source: Instagram