'Rocky' film franchise to expand with 'Drago' spinoff: report

Wise Guys, according to reports.The actor, who made his name in crime dramas like Goodfellas, Casino and The Godfather Part II, will return to the genre for a film directed by Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Bugsy).Wise Guys will follow the lives of Italian-American crime bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, who both operated their respective families in the middle of the 20th century. In 1957, Genovese attempted and failed to assassinate Costello.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterRobert De Niro will be sharing the screen with Hollywood legend Robert De Niro in the upcoming gangster drama “Wise Guys.”The movie, set at Warner Bros., will be directed by Barry Levinson, the veteran filmmaker who is best known for “Rain Man” and “Wag the Dog.”Nicholas Pileggi, the co-writer of Martin Scorsese’s crime epic “Goodfellas,” which starred De Niro, is penning the screenplay for “Wise Guys.” The story follows Italian American crime bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, who ran their respective families during the 20th century. In 1957, Genovese tried (and failed) to assassinate Costello, who was ultimately injured and attempted to retire from the mafia.

Robert De Niro will star in the Warner Bros. mob drama Wise Guys from director Barry Levinson, Deadline can confirm. The project reunites the duo following their collaborations on the Emmy-nominated HBO TV movie The Wizard of Lies, which had De Niro playing Bernie Madoff, and Magnolia Pictures’ 2008 dramedy, What Just Happened, as well as the director’s earlier films Wag the Dog and Sleepers.

Wilson Chapman editorSylvester Stallone is synonymous with the character of Rocky Balboa, the scrappy underdog boxer who first brought him to the spotlight in the ’70s. But in recent years, Stallone has made it very clear that even though the films are inextricably linked with him, he’s not happy about the way the original deal was structured and thinks he should have received an ownership stake.On July 31, following the announcement of a “Rocky” spinoff film in development about the characters of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) and Viktor Drago (Viktor Drago), Stallone took to Instagram to express his frustrations about the direction of the expanding franchise, and particularly its longtime producer Irwin Winkler.

When Hollywood gets something right, it tends to do it again. We've seen many successful revivals and reboots, including "Doctor Who," "Gilmore Girls" and "Veronica Mars." But getting a reboot right requires a careful balance. Brand expert Evan Nierman, founder of Red Banyan PR, told Fox News Digital why studios like to revisit familiar stories and characters.  "Stray too far from the original, and you risk angering or alienating legions of devoted fans.

Dolph Lundgren is weighing in on the drama over the planned Rocky spinoff movie about Drago.

Dolph Lundgren has weighed in on the scrum around the announcement that a Rocky spinoff film called Drago is reportedly in the works at MGM. His message was essentially, “Keep me out of it.”

Lundgren posted on his Instagram page. “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.

Zack Sharf Dolph Lundgren took to social media to “set the record straight” regarding the recent controversy that’s consuming the “Rocky” franchise. Variety reported July 28 that MGM is developing a “Drago” spinoff movie with screenwriter Robert Lawton, an announcement that was later condemned by “Rocky” franchise creator and actor Sylvester Stallone.

Fighting for control. Sylvester Stallone slammed the upcoming Rocky spinoff centered on Dolph Lundgren‘s character, Drago, claiming that it was made without his knowledge or approval.

Last Thursday, news broke that MGM had a “Rocky” spin-off in the works: “Drago,” centered around the backstory of Rocky Balboa’s “Rocky IV” nemesis, Russian boxer Ivan Drago. For “Rocky” fans, that sounds promising.

Dolph Lundgren responded after Sylvester Stallone criticized him for attaching himself to the potential "Rocky" spinoff "Drago." Lundgren took to Instagram to clarify details of the spinoff after being called out. He revealed there is not an "approved script" for the project or a director.

Sylvester Stallone channeled his inner Rocky to throw a haymaker punch at the upcoming Rocky spinoff, Drago!

Rocky spin-off Drago.As reported by TheWrap on Thursday (July 28), screenwriter Robert Lawton has penned a script for a spin-off film around Dolph Lundgren’s character Ivan Drago, who appeared in 1985’s Rocky IV and 2018’s Creed II.Stallone shared the report on Instagram on Sunday (July 31), where he criticised longtime Rocky producer Irwin Winkler and Lundgren for allegedly going “behind his back” in regards to the project.“Another Heartbreaker… Just found this out,” Stallone wrote. “ONCE AGAIN, IRWIN WINKLER, this PATHETIC 94 year old PRODUCER and HIS MORONIC VULTURE CHILDREN, Charles and David, are once again picking clean THE BONES of another wonderful character I created without even telling me.A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone)“I APOLOGISE to the FANS, I never wanted ROCKY characters to be exploited by these parasites… 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.”Stallone shared a second post where he called Winkler a “blood sucker” and “parasite producer”.In a post addressing Stallone’s remarks, Lundgren claimed he was “under the impression” that Stallone was involved in the project.“Just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spin-off,” Lundgren wrote.

Sylvester Stallone is once again taking aim at the producers behind the franchise, denouncing the upcoming spin-off film, and calling out Dolph Lundgren in the process.The famed actor took to Instagram over the weekend to drag Lundgren and producer Irwin Winkler by name for allegedly cutting him out of the universe. Stallone shared a gruesome photo to the social media platform that featured him as Rocky Balboa and Winkler edited to have vampire fangs with both of them covered in blood. In the photo's caption, Stallone pointedly wrote, «After IRWIN WINKLER And FAMILY SUCK ROCKY DRY! Presumed to be the most hated, untalented, decrepited, Producer in Hollywood and his cowardly children have found their next meal… Drago ?» A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone)The 76-year-old actor continued, «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 work… #parasite producers #exploited artists victims.» In another post over the weekend, Stallone shared an article that teased  going to production and called out Lundgren for allegedly not reaching out about the film. He wrote, «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.» A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone)Addressing the allegations Sunday, Lundgren shared a photo of him with Stallone and claimed he did not know the  actor was not involved as well.

Instagram post begins, accompanying a photo of Winkler edited to look like Dracula sucking Rocky’s blood. “Presumed to be the most hated, untalented, decrepited (sic) producer in Hollywood and his cowardly children have found their next meal… Drago.