It has been over four decades since Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed battled it out in the ring for the heavyweight title in Rocky II. Sylvester Stallone has continues to renewed interest in the Rocky franchise, especially after releasing Rocky IV’s director cut. He even trolled devoted fans about a new installment. The Oscar winner wasn’t done digging up the boxing franchise as he dug up some cool BTS footage from Rocky II featuring moments with Carl Weathers and more.
Stallone has been on a Rocky tear in recent years unloading more footage – on and off-screen – from the beloved sports franchise. So his latest Instagram post was nothing unusual for the Hollywood star. But sharing footage from the Rocky sequel gave more insight into how everything came together. Not only did the Creed II actor speak on how Rocky and Adrian’s proposal scene played out, but you also hear a bit from Carl Weathers and Talia Shire in the behind-the-scenes featurette. To see all the fun and commentary the cast offered in the footage, you can watch Sylvester Stallone’s full video post below.
Seeing Weathers and Stallone switch up between their characters and real-life camaraderie was amazing. The co-stars appeared to enjoy their time between set-ups. It was the Rocky IV director and Shire’s commentaries that made the footage a worthwhile watch. Getting a peek into the proposal scene was one of those rare moments where fans get to see how the sausage is made.
The Rocky II footage wasn’t the first time fans have peeked into Apollo and Rocky’s relationship. Sylvester Stallone previously released off-screen footage of he and his co-star facing off in the ring from the first film. But the Action Jackson actor wasn’t the only co-star he’s shared images of. He released a photo of him and Hulk Hogan from Rocky III, displaying their height difference. Stallone followed that up by constantly sharing Rocky IV outtakes leading up to the director’s cut’s release. The Rambo actor doesn’t mind sharing throwback photos from the franchise at his expense.
Of course, Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed’s relationship evolved as the film series continued culminating in Creed’s death in Rocky IV. His friend’s death spawned the fight between Balboa and Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, which sent Stallone to the hospital. The three co-stars reunited years ago to commemorate the fourth installment’s anniversary as seen in a nice photo. The bond between Stallone and Weathers came full circle as the boxing champion ended up coaching Creed’s son Adonis (played by Michael B. Jordan) in the first two Creed films. Now, the Creed franchise has moved on as the Expendable actor won’t be back for the third time.
If you want to see Rocky II and other Rocky installments, find out where you can stream the franchise so you can relive all the moments.