Rocky Balboa had better watch his back, because an old enemy is coming back to break him.
Ivan Drago, the villain from Rocky IV, is returning in the upcoming sequel Creed 2, the follow-up to Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-nominated seventh film in the Rocky series. We know very little about the film yet, and we don’t even know for certain if Ryan Coogler will be back in the director’s chair (since he’s very busy making Black Panther for Marvel Studios), but we do know for certain that Sylvester Stallone has written the screenplay and that Dolph Lundgren will return as Ivan Drago.
And Dolph is getting pumped up.
Dolph Lundgren revealed a video on his Instagram account this week, showing off his training regimen. Presumably there’s another version out there somewhere of Sylvester Stallone training in the snow, which will then be cross-cut with Lundgren’s workout montage. Or maybe not.
The Rocky movies are, if we’re being honest, one of the most consistent movie franchises in the world, delivering knock-out sports drama every single time. And while some installments are better than others, it’s pretty impressive that even after a preposterous, rah-rah sequel like Rocky IV, or the misguided Rocky V, the franchise could still come back years later and win over audiences and critics alike with celebrated follow-ups like Rocky Balboa and Creed.
So although it may seem like a strange choice to return to the events of Rocky IV, the most bizarre and campy film in the series, never count Rocky out. He’s made more comebacks than most people have made dinners.
Top Photo: Warner Bros.
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on Canceled Too Soon and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
