Sylvester Stallone Teases an Ivan Drago Angle for 'Creed 2'

Sylvester Stallone earned an Oscar nomination — his first since 1976’s Rocky — for playing an aged Italian Stallion, tasked with mentoring the son of his former adversary-turned-friend, in Creed. That 2015 sequel-spin-off was a critical and commercial hit, and while its director, Ryan Coogler, and its star, Michael B. Jordan, are currently hard at work on Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther, there’s significant interest in the duo re-teaming (alongside Stallone) for a follow-up. And wouldn’t you know, Stallone himself has an idea for a next round in the long-running series — and it involves one of his most famous opponents.

In a series of Instagram posts (via Slashfilm) — each one more upfront than the last — Stallone floats the idea Creed 2 should feature the return of none other than his Rocky IV villain, steroidal Russian titan Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren.

The first social-media post hinted at the Creed-Drago connection via hashtag:

Really like this RARE picture… ROCKY making DRAGO'S life difficult between takes!!! #CREED 2 #MGM @dolphlundgren

A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on Jun 25, 2017 at 4:06pm PDT

The second photo got a bit more explicit about Stallone’s desires:

Directing APOLLO AND DRAGO , The two best "cinema "boxers that ever lived!… Maybe it's time to try to again?

A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on Jun 29, 2017 at 10:49am PDT

And the third? Well, it’s pretty obvious what Stallone is going for here:

Since Lundgren is now 59 (albeit a still physically imposing specimen), it’s hard to see Michael B. Jordan squaring off against him in the ring. However, in the 22 years since Rocky IV, Drago should have had plenty of time to manufacture a few children via his favorite Soviet drug lab (and/or with the aid of Brigitte Nielsen), so a Creed 2 could conceivably pit a mini-Drago against Jordan’s Adonis Creed — although one suspects that this might be a bit too nostalgia-centric, even for a series that loves its past as much as its present.

There are no official announcements about Creed 2 as of yet, but given Stallone’s enthusiasm — and Coogler’s lack of set-in-stone plans past Black Panther — stay tuned for more news about any possible follow-up sometime in the not-too-distant future.

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