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Rocky Balboa
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 Rocky Balboa Production NotesTagline: It ain't over 'til it's over.
"Rocky Balboa" is the next story in the saga of Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa, one of Hollywood's most beloved characters. In the film, Rocky has long since retired but is drawn back to the boxing ring one last time. On the way he is challenged by a powerful new champion, by personal tragedy and ultimately by himself.
Thirty years ago he was a man with no future, working for a small time loan shark on the South Side of Philadelphia. When blind luck landed him the chance to enter the ring against reigning champ Apollo Creed, it was the million-to-one-shot of a lifetime. And all he wanted was to go the distance. His courage and perseverance, both in life and in the ring, gave hope to millions.
Now, glory has come and gone and Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), the one-time Italian Stallion, spends his evenings telling old stories to the patrons of his restaurant, Adrian's, named after his late wife, whom he quietly mourns. His son (Milo Ventimiglia) doesn't want to spend time with him; he's too busy trying to live his own life. Time and knocks have humbled Rocky, deformed his fists, slouched his shoulders and taken away all he had except his old stories, but in his heart he's still the same man. In his heart, he's still a fighter.
Mason "The Line" Dixon is the reigning heavyweight champion distinguished only by the ease with which he took the title. Since he has never had to prove himself, never faced a truly equal opponent, he is considered by fans to be all skill and no heart, with no real future in the sport...
Until a computer simulation matches him against Rocky Balboa in his prime. Who really would win if the two were evenly matched - Dixon's skillful jabs and footwork versus Rocky's passion and blunt force trauma? Dixon's manager has an idea how to revitalize his client's career and suddenly, heavyweight boxing captures the public's imagination again.
It seems like a lark, a joke even. But to Rocky, nearly twice the age of his opponent, the prospect of a fight with Dixon is the second chance he never thought he'd get - a billion-to-one shot to prove to himself and to those he loves that while the body changes, the heart only grows stronger.
MGM Pictures presents writer/director/star Sylvester Stallone's return to the character that launched his career and became a cultural icon around the world. The Revolution Pictures and Chartoff/Winkler Production is the final chapter in the 30-year saga that began in 1976 with Rocky, a film that, like its title character, came out of nowhere to make history - breaking box office records and winning Oscars for Best Picture, Directing and Editing and out of an astounding 10 nominations.
Like its predecessor, Rocky Balboa is written and stars Stallone, who also directs and produces. Reprising their roles from the original are Burt Young as Paulie, Rocky's conflicted lifelong friend and brother-in-law, who has appeared in all 6 Rocky films; and Pedro Lovell as Spider, a one-time opponent who now lingers at Rocky's restaurant because he has no where else to go.
Joining the cast are Geraldine Hughes as Marie, a single mom who as a teenager mouthed off to Rocky after he escorted her home, lecturing her on the dangers of hanging out with street gangs; and James Francis Kelly, III, as her son Steps. Milo Ventimiglia stars as Robert, Rocky's only son who has spent his life trying to emerge from his father's famous shadow. And light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver stars as Mason "The Line" Dixon, the film's reigning champion of the world.
The Original
Produced by Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, Rocky was released by United Artists in 1976 and became an international box office phenomenon and all-time movie classic. A low-budget “sleeper” that came out to nowhere to flatten the big-budget competition at awards time, it was nominated for an astounding 10 Academy Awards, winning the coveted Best Picture Oscar, ahead of such legendary films as Taxi Driver and Network, as well as Academy Awards for director John G. Avildsen and editors Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad.
Stallone, who had stuck to his guns and insisted that if the picture got produced it would be with him in the title role, was nominated for two Oscars – Best Actor and Best Screenplay. The film also starred Talia Shire as Adrian; Burt Young as her brother and Rocky’s friend Paulie; plus Carl Weathers as the reigning champ Apollo Creed; and Burgess Meredith as Rocky’s grizzled trainer Mickey. Shire, Young and Meredith were nominated for acting Oscars, with the Academy also recognizing the film’s sound and the Best Original Song slot, for the memorable “Gonna Fly Now.”
Through five sequels, in theatrical revivals and home entertainment releases, the film has continued to attract new generations of fans. “It’s humbling to see how Rocky has affected so many people over the years,” Stallone says. “I think that the people who have been so supportive and loyal will be happy with the final chapter in Rocky Balboa’s life because I think we bring the character to a final and noble conclusion.”
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Sylvester Stallone in Rocky Balboa.
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