Sylvester Stallone just gave Rocky fans something to chew on—again. In a recent Instagram video, Sly casually showed off his collection of luxury writing instruments. But eagle-eyed fans spotted something far more interesting: his handwritten notes detailing a “Rocky prequel.”
This isn’t the first time Stallone has teased the idea of diving into Rocky’s past. He’s been toying with a prequel for years, even floating the possibility of a Rocky prequel series. But here’s the problem—without Stallone in the role, do we really want it?
The Notes: A Glimpse at Young Rocky
Sly’s video focused on his custom pens, but his roving camera work slyly (get it?) revealed working notes on a young Rocky Balboa, his hard-drinking father, and his mother, Rose.
He posted alongside the video: “One of my favorite things and least favorite things to do is the right. It’s difficult.”
“And without writing there would be no Hollywood … but what makes it fun quite often is what you write with. We all started out with a pencil but look what it’s evolved to – Montegrappa’s Works of Art!”
From what’s visible in the clip, Stallone’s notes suggest the prequel would be set in the 1960s Rockyverse. Some of the key details include:
- Rocky struggling to find his place in the world (“Soul with a first class ticket on a down bound train” … “We now see a young man [Rocky] struggle like all young people to figure out their place in this world”)
- His father being a bitter, violent dock worker and heavy drinker (“Rocky’s father is a violent man; a heavy drinker is bitter that he works in a dock warehouse”)
- His mother resenting her husband (“Mrs. Rose Balboa mother is a woman who hates her husband and [birth]”)
Rocky’s Story Mirrors Stallone’s Own Life
One of the most fascinating things about Stallone’s Rocky prequel notes is how much they parallel his own real-life struggles. If you’ve watched the Netflix documentary SLY or listened to his brutally honest interview on his daughters’ Unwaxed Podcast with Sophia and Sistine Stallone, you already know just how personal these stories are to him.
Like Rocky, Sly had a rough childhood. His father, Frank Stallone Sr., was physically abusive—something Sly has spoken about multiple times. In SLY, he details how his father had a temper and would take his anger out on him, similar to how Rocky’s father is described in these prequel notes—bitter, violent, and heavy-drinking.
But one of the most shocking revelations came from his mother, Jackie Stallone. In the Unwaxed Podcast interview, Sly recounted a heartbreaking moment from his childhood when his mother told him to his face that she had tried to abort him multiple times. That’s a gut punch most people couldn’t recover from, but it shows why Stallone has always written Rocky as a character struggling to find his place in the world.
So when Stallone sits down to sketch out a Rocky prequel, he’s not just making up a backstory. He’s pulling from his own life, his own emotions, his own scars. That’s what makes it so powerful—and why it’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing the role. Rocky isn’t just a character. He’s Stallone’s alter ego.
No Stallone, No Thanks
Look, we love Rocky. And we love Sly. But there’s no separating the two.
Hollywood has been experimenting with de-aging technology, and while it’s getting better, it’s not perfect. Tom Hanks’ upcoming film Here is making waves with some revolutionary AI. Remember the work done to de-age Stallone and De Niro in Grudge Match? That was rough, even back when that movie came out.
Unless Stallone himself plays a younger Rocky using top-tier de-aging effects, we don’t want to see someone else step into those boots. It just wouldn’t feel right. Stallone IS Rocky. That’s our opinion, anyway.
Will the “Rocky Prequel” Ever Happen?
Stallone loves this character. That much is obvious. He’s been tinkering with Rocky prequel ideas for years, dropping hints, sketches, and pitches. But if we’re being honest—it’s doubtful anything will come of it.
MGM and the Rocky rights situation are messy, and Stallone has made it clear he’s not happy about not owning the franchise he created. Combine that with the fact that fans don’t want a “Young Rocky” without Stallone, and it seems like a long shot.
Would we love to see more Rocky stories? Absolutely. Do we want a “Rocky prequel” with a recast lead? Not a chance.
