Feud over Stallone’s lost ‘Rocky’ legacy—and why he’s not in ‘Creed III’
nypost.comnever” watch the third installment, even though he has a producer credit on the movie.Last July, Stallone posted to Instagram a photo-illustration of a vampiric Winkler sucking the blood out of Rocky.
It has since been removed from the site but can be seen on Deadline Hollywood.In the caption, he wrote, “Throughout history so many artists in every industry, recording, painting, writing, you name it have been destroyed by these blood suckers Who have destroyed so many families, lining their pockets with other people[‘s] work.”He’s also described Winkler as “Presumed to be the most hated, untalented, decrepited Producer in Hollywood.”Representatives for Winkler, 91, did not respond to a request for comment.It all began in the mid 1970s, when a friend of Stallone’s arranged a meeting with producing partners Bob Chartoff (now deceased and Winkler — who is now a seasoned movie producer on films such as “The Irishman,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Right Stuff.” Stallone, a struggling actor, told them about his idea for “Rocky.” The producers asked him to write the script on spec.
It was agreed that, if the movie got made, Stallone would play Rocky.As explained in Winkler’s memoir, “A Life in Movies,” Chartoff and Winkler had a production deal with United Artists.
It included a clause that would have the studio financing a film of the duo’s choosing, as long as it came in at a budget of less than $1.5 million and they had not made a film in nine months. “Rocky” became that film.“Stallone was unknown at that point He had no leverage,” one Hollywood insider told The Post. “It took balls for the producers to let him star in ‘Rocky.’ And that made him a star.”In fact, it took more than balls.
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