Sylvester Stallone: Rocky Rises

If Rocky VI gets the go ahead, Stallone will write, produce and star in the movie. Following in the original Rocky’s footsteps, this Rocky will have a meager budget of $10-15 million. MGM has had a number of hits with low-budget movies (made for less than $20 million) grossing almost four times as much with Legally Blonde and Barbershop.

The first Rocky was made for a mere $1 million and grossed upwards of $220 million in ticket sales, making it one of the top-grossing films of the 70’s. The next three installments of the series, Rocky II, Rocky III and Rocky IV all brought in more than $100 million in ticket sales. But the last one made, Rocky V, was a box office disappointment compared to the other installments with only a $40 million gross.

Also in talks about reprising their action hero roles are Bruce Willis in another Die Hard, Harrison Ford as "Indiana Jones" and Mel Gibson as "Mad Max." It seems that the aging stars are trying to hang on to their youth by reprising the roles that helped make them famous years ago. No offense, but how many times can they remake a movie and keep the plot line interesting and the fans begging for more? What’s next, Rocky XV, with Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed sharing a bed pan at the local nursing home? In the immortal words of Kenny Rogers, "You’ve got to know when to fold ‘em…"