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The Rocky franchise goes all the way back to the 1970s, but it's continued to this day. For the past few years, that's been through the Creed spin-off series starring Michael B. Jordan as Apollo Creed's son. Now, the universe is going further with a movie based around Ivan Drago and his son Viktor, but not everyone involved in the franchise is happy.
Sylvester Stallone has been very critical of those in charge of the Rocky franchise, with the announcement of an Ivan Drago-based spin-off only further igniting his ire. While he's more than justified in his feelings, the Drago film has the potential to expand the Rocky franchise beyond where it's gone so far. Here's how the movie can take the house that the Italian Stallion built into some exciting new directions, justifying its existence in the process.
Drago Can Feature a Story Unlike Any Rocky Movie
As it will likely focus on the relationship between Ivan Drago and his son Viktor, Drago will have an element that former Rocky films didn't. Rocky's son Robert was just a baby/young kid in the second, third and fourth Rocky films. And his roles in Rocky V and Rocky Balboa saw him estranged from his father, with his dad's has-been status only making things worse. The closest thing that Rocky had to a visible father figure on screen was the curmudgeonly Micky, who he had an ultimately very close relationship with. And with Adonis Creed, he never knew his dad, only idolizing the image of him.
Drago could present the opposite of these dynamics by having a father and son training together to become a well-oiled boxing machine. On top of that, it could provide a change in scenery. Though it's still not known when the film will take place in the series' timeline, a good portion of it may take place in Russia. That's a world away from the streets of Philadelphia, and even if Rocky IV happened in that country, its perspective was far different from what a native son of the land would see things as. Thus, it's the perfect opportunity to keep things familiar while showcasing a world of difference.
Drago Can Help the Franchise Release Movies More Consistently
The Rocky series seemingly ended -- for good, this time -- with 2006's Rocky Balboa. That film, which was in many ways a belated apology for the controversial Rocky V, came out almost a decade before Creed continued the series in 2015. But the wait between Creed and Creed II was three years, and Creed III is hitting theaters five years after the second. If the producers seek to make a full-on Rocky universe, it might help if the movies come out more often.
Creed and Drago could become twin spin-offs, with an entry in each coming out in an opposite year as the other. If the movies have vastly different tones despite both being boxing films, this could keep them chugging along production for a few good years. Of course, this might further justify Stallone's sentiments that the franchise will just be bled dry, but given how many sequels Rocky got, that's a bit of a moot point. Regardless, Drago has the potential to take things in a different direction, keeping things from being tied too closely to Rocky himself.