Fans were given an exclusive behind the scenes look of Sylvester Stallone’s most well-known work.
Sylvester Stallone is an icon renowned for his portrayal of the legendary boxer Rocky Balboa. The 1976 original was written by the Hollywood superstar who portrayed the boxer in six Rocky films and as a trainer in two spin-offs of Creed starring Michael B. Jordan.
The movie followed a Philadelphia club fighter who later became the world’s heavyweight champion. Famously, Balboa declined a $265,000 offer (about £1.4 million in today’s currency) so that film makers might cast a different actor to play him.
All fared well in the end, as the movie grossed the highest earning box office revenue of the year. It garnered ten Academy Award nominations and took home three of them, including Best Picture.
In the highly anticipated sequel, Stallone’s journeyman character faced up against heavyweight champion Apollo Creed for the second time. Creed had won narrowly by split decision in their previous encounter.
Stallone crafted a sequel that saw Rocky Balboa facing off against heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in a rematch. The climax of Rocky II is a scene etched in history. It depicts Rocky delivering a series of punches that culminate in a dramatic knockdown of Creed in the final round.
Rocky trips and collapses at the same moment as Creed crashes to the ground.
As the referee starts to count them both out, Rocky rises to his feet after nine seconds but his opponent passes out from fatigue. Rocky ends up winning via knockout, completing a rags to riches story.
A remarkable 44 years after captivating audiences, Stallone shared a rare footage on Instagram. The clip features Stallone and Carl Weathers (who portrayed Creed) miming the epic confrontation while bystanders watch in awe.
Stallone’s caption on the post read: “Practicing for the final scene in Rocky2. Rare footage. Thought it be fun to share. Keep punching.”
The Instagram post garnered immense attention from Stallone’s 16.8 million followers, with comments flooding in.
Fans expressed their admiration, with one stating: “This is gold!!”
Another acknowledged the historical significance of the movie and commented: “Cinematic history in the making right there.”