Sylvester Stallone condemned “Rocky” producer Irwin Winkler for withholding ownership of the franchise in an Instagram post Sunday, calling for a “fair gesture” from Winkler.
The post, which features an image of Winkler as a serpent with a knife for a tongue, is paired with Stallone’s caption that calls the image “A very flattering portrait of the great ‘Rocky’/’Creed’ producer, Irwin Winkler, from one of the country’s greatest.”
“After Irwin controlling ‘Rocky’ for over 47 years, and now ‘Creed’,” Stallone wrote, “I really would like to have at least a little [of] WHAT’S LEFT of my rights back, before passing it on to ONLY YOUR CHILDREN — I believe that would be a fair gesture from this 93-year-old gentleman?”
Winkler, who served as a producer for the “Rocky” films, also holds the title for its sequel series “Creed.”
TheWrap has reached out to Winkler’s representative for comment.
In recent years, Stallone has revealed his frustration in recent years that he has zero ownership of “Rocky,” a series that he helped create.
“This is a painful subject that eats at my soul, because I wanted to leave something of Rocky for my children, but it’s always great hearing from the loyal fans… Keep punching,” Stallone concluded.
On Saturday, Stallone posted an image of the book cover of “The Arrangement: A Love Story,” a novel written by Winkler’s son, David, with an inflammatory book review, calling it “by far the worst” book Stallone has read. He continued his caption by explaining that the author is the son of “the remarkably untalented and parasitical Producer of Rocky and Creed.”
Centering on the boxing career of Rocky Balboa, the sports drama franchise which began with 1976 film, “Rocky,” has had five sequels, all of which were written and directed by Stallone. The spinoff franchise, “Creed,” which stars Michael B. Jordan, has introduced two films, with a third film slated to be released in Nov. 2022.