As the sports drama 'Rocky III' turned 44 on Friday, Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone celebrated the moment and expressed that many unforgettable moments came from it, both inside and outside the ring. Stallone shared a series of monochrome images from the movie, which was released in 1982 and was directed by the Hollywood icon himself.
Stallone, who played the iconic character of Rocky Balboa, wrote in the caption: "Celebrating 44 years of Rocky III today. So many unforgettable moments came from this film, both in and out of the ring." He added, "Grateful for the cast, the crew, and the fans who still keep these movies alive all these years later. Keep punching."
'Rocky III' is the sequel to 'Rocky II', which was released in 1979, and is the third installment in the Rocky franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. In the film, Rocky Balboa faces stiff competition from Clubber Lang, a powerful new contender, and turns to his old adversary Apollo Creed to help him train.
The original film 'Rocky' came out in 1976 and was directed by John G. Avildsen. It was followed by the sequels 'Rocky II', 'Rocky III', 'Rocky IV', 'Rocky V', and 'Rocky Balboa'. The film franchise continued with 2015's 'Creed', 'Creed II', and 'Creed III', also starring Michael B. Jordan as boxer Adonis Creed, with 'Rocky' as his trainer in the first two films. The Creed films were directed by Ryan Coogler, Steven Caple Jr., and Jordan respectively.
On the work front, Stallone is working on the much-anticipated project 'Frisco King'. For context, 'Tulsa King' debuted in 2022. The series stars Stallone as Dwight "The General" Manfredi, an American Mafia caporegime who has recently been released from prison in New York and is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he begins to build a criminal organization. It is Stallone's first leading role in a scripted television series. A fourth season and a spin-off series, 'Frisco King', starring Samuel L. Jackson, have both been ordered.
