Sylvester Stallone re-edits Rocky IV in new video & teases more surprises

Sylvester Stallone is his own personal hype-man and he's doing one hell of a job teasing the director's cut on ROCKY IV, a project that he's personally overseeing. Stallone recently took to his Instagram to show himself re-editing one of the film's scenes while Q/A's on some of his Instagram posts also tease new ROCKY IV tidbits.

Stallone shared a brand new video on his Instagram that shows him standing by a screen and explaining where he wants to insert an extra shot of Michael Pataki’s character turning immediately after Drago utters the word “Drago” during his interview after killing Apollo Creed. In addition to the extra shot, it looks like the scene includes lines that Drago does not say in the theatrical version of ROCKY IV, as the character never says his own name after killing Apollo. This isn't the first time that Stallone has teased more from Drago in the new director's cut. The actor has also shown a lot of extra work involving Dolph Lundgren’s character, whether it is him having lines of dialogue during a press conference with Rocky or simply tweaking some of the original Apollo and Drago fight scene. You can check out Stallone's Instagram below:

Stallone was asked by a fan in some of the comments why he decided to “edit this movie", and Stallone said "always had a gut feeling that we could’ve gone deeper and better. And I was right."  The comment section has also been a delight in terms of the polarizing decision to cut Paulie's Robot from the new director's cut. Fans keep posting comments to reconsider but Stallone is definitive on that matter saying "The robot is in a trash compactor on its way to be melted down into a toaster." The creator of the Sico Robot,  Robert Doornick, has shared his own recent theory with "Empire" about why Stallone has decided to cut the fan-favorite from the new edition:

"I was in my office when I found out. I was deluged with messages: 'How can Stallone do that?' But I know why he's doing it, because I know he loves the robot. By causing turmoil among the fans of Sico, it generates more publicity. And by removing the robot from the movie, it saves money in royalty fees, because he is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Sico receives cheques all the time – and of course he sends them over to me."

Stallone also teased on Instagram that two new songs that were recorded for the film but never used will also be featured. A fan asked if the film would be getting new music or a new score and Stallone said "Yes! Two other songs that were written for Rocky IV and never used will be included." Stallone also seems to think that the new director's cut will make for a better film as he goes on to say that "There will be no comparison! The new cut is so soulful and the fight is so much more exciting it’s hard to express my enthusiasm fully. It’s 10 times better than the original!" 

Could this be why the ROCKY IV director's cut will be released as a feature film first? There is no solid confirmation on this but after posting the Instagram video Stallone went on to respond to more fan questions and he responded by saying "I believe it’s going to be released as a feature first." This will likely be a limited release but it should be cool on the big screen nonetheless if it happens.

Depending on who you ask, ROCKY IV is either one of the most crowd-pleasing of the ROCKY films or just one long music video montage. The film certainly was a hit when it was released in 1985 and it became the highest-grossing sports movie for 24 years before being overtaken by THE BLIND SIDE. It is the most financially successful ROCKY film as well, grossing $127.8 million at the domestic box office and $300 million worldwide. In the film, the Soviet Union and its top boxer make an entrance into professional boxing with their best athlete Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren. He initially wants to take on World champion Rocky Balboa but Rocky's best friend Apollo Creed decides to fight him instead but is fatally beaten in the ring. Enraged, Rocky decides to fight Drago in the Soviet Union to avenge the death of his friend and defend the honor of his country. The film also stars Burt Young, Talia Shire, Carl Weathers, Tony Burton, Brigitte Nielsen, and Michael Pataki.

Are YOU excited for the ROCKY IV director's cut?