Months after announcing he was working on the long-awaited director’s cut of the fourth Rocky film, Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky Vs Drago” edition of the Cold War classic has been confirmed for a big-screen debut alongside streaming and physical releases. This Rocky IV Director’s Cut will be coming to select theaters thanks to a partnership with Fathom.
Rocky vs. Drago hits theaters on November 11 for an exclusive engagement via MGM and Fathom followed by the digital demand release on November 12.
Stallone’s Rocky vs. Drago contains 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage from the 1985 classic. In addition to screening the film for audiences, Stallone will broadcast a live Q&A in select Fathom locations nationwide. The Q&A will then be flowed by a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the director’s cut.
Tickets will be put up for sale today and a complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website.
When it was first released in 1985, ROCKY IV became the highest-grossing of all the Rocky films, as well as the highest-grossing sports drama in cinema for nearly a quarter-century. From writer, director and star Sylvester Stallone, Rocky IV also features Brigitte Nielsen, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren, Michael Pataki, Robert Doornick, Stu Nahan, Talia Shire and Tony Burton. Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff produced the original film, with Arthur Chobanian and James D. Brubaker serving as executive producers.
Back in April, Stallone shared a behind-the-scenes look at the editing process for Rocky vs. Drago. In the video, the legendary filmmaker masks up and enters a near-empty building on Sunset Blvd where he steadily pieced his director’s cut of Rocky IV together.
“In my life, as you walk forward, the ground behind you disintegrates, so there is no retreat. When you go back and re-cut your film, I can guarantee that you’ll approach it with sensitivity, wisdom, and confidence,” Stallone declares in the video as he takes us on a tour of his office.
“All of us are entitled to follow our dreams, to stick to our beliefs because, in the end, that’s all you have. If you keep believing in that, eventually, your dreams will come true,” says Stallone near the close of the video, leaving us all with a few sage words of wisdom during these trying times.
After hitting us with the above-posted video, Stallone dropped a brutal photo of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) giving Rocky Balboa (Stallone) a “hip breaking cheap shot.” With a photo like this, one has to wonder what manner of brutality will be included when Rocky vs Drago steps into the squared circle. I wouldn’t be too worried about Balboa, though, as Stallone has hinted that the Italian Stallion gets some “major payback” during the new cut as well.