Did Sylvester Stallone Write ‘Rocky’?

‘Rocky’ is one of those movies that has changed people’s perspective of sports drama forever. As per Forbes, the ‘Rocky’ franchise has earned over $1.4 billion in revenue, which makes it one of the greatest franchises of all time. People have so much curiosity over that film, and one of such questions is, who wrote this masterpiece? We already know Sylvester Stallone’s contribution to ‘Rocky’ and its spin-off franchise ‘Creed’. After it first hit the silver screen in 1976, ‘Rocky Balboa’ later became a household name for everyone. It was the story of an underdog boxer who later makes a big name for himself.

Rocky is a film of courage, dedication, and hard work, and Stallone left no stone unturned to make the character look life-like. Stallone starred as the protagonist and directed a few of the films in the ‘Rocky’ series. His performance as the underdog boxer made the movie an instant classic and created an iconic name in pop culture.

‘Rocky’ script: Author and the real-life inspiration behind the character

‘Rocky’ is the brainchild of Sylvester Stallone. Sly went through all the hard work to bring Rocky Balboa to life. Although people are used to seeing Rocky Balboa on the screen, many do not know the amazing story behind the movie. Stallone had a very difficult time at the beginning of his acting career. He did a small part in the movie ‘The Lord of Flatbush’. However, it did not fetch him money.

Later, he went to California, to see Muhammad Ali vs Chuck Wepner which happened in 1975 at the Richfield Coliseum. Stallone witnessed the match, with a minute to minute details, and after the match ended, he got a billion-dollar idea, which at the time, he didn’t know the value of.

He wrote the script in three days and it originally contained 90 pages. It is interesting to know that the script was inspired by the match Sly attended. Stallone borrowed the name ‘Rocky’ from legendary boxer Rocky Marciano. Rocky Marciano, who went by the nickname ‘Brockton Blockbuster’ is the only heavyweight champ in the history of the sport to retire undefeated. With a record of 49-0 with 43 knockouts, Stallone knew exactly what his fictional character’s name should be.

Sylvester Stallone was so broke that he sold his dog to feed himself

Sylvester Stallone was broke at the time and did not have money to produce the movie himself. Stallone was so poor that he even sold his dog ‘Butkus’ in exchange for $25 to feed himself. Such hard times could not break the indomitable spirit of the ‘Italian Stallion’.

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And that’s not all. The producers who showed interest in the script wanted to buy it off for as little as $300,000 and cast another actor of their choice to play Rocky Balboa. Stallone who believed in his work was determined to play the role of Rocky himself. And just like that, after making some dough, Sly bought back his dog ‘Butkus’, but for a staggering $15,000.

‘Rocky’ is certainly not complete without Sylvester Stallone. And it is safe to say that it is Sly’s proudest creation. The struggles Balboa faces in the movie are in fact similar to the ones Stallone faced off-camera.

Which is your favorite ‘Rocky’ movie? Let us know in the comments.

Watch this story: Sylvester Stallone’s Earnings From ‘Rocky’ & ‘Creed’ Movies