Sylvester Stallone Revealed The Poster For His Rocky IV Director’s Cut, And I’m Pumped

Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) and Drago (Dolph Lundgren) prepare to face off in Rocky IV (1985)

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Sylvester Stallone has played a number of iconic roles over the course of his illustrious career, but it’s safe to say the one that tops them all is Rocky Balboa. The scrappy fighter from Philly still holds a firm place in his heart and those of movie lovers. Stallone always seems to be working on something related to the long-running franchise and, last year, he announced that he was in the process of working on a director’s cut of Rocky IV. The actor, director and producer has consistently kept fans updated on its status, and he’s now unveiled a poster that’s got me pumped!

The Rocky franchise is known for its incredible posters, as many probably remember the one-sheet for the original, which shows the silhouettes of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa and Talia Shire’s Adrian Pennino holding hands. From there, the franchise spawned posters that were a bit more grandiose, and this new poster Stallone unveiled for the Rocky IV director’s cut is no different. Check it out in the star’s Instagram post down below:

A photo posted by on

The poster, which is unfortunately cut off, shows Rocky’s silhouette standing in the ring, as Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago looms large over him. All in all, the image is a fitting representation of one of the saga’s most explosive chapters. Though to be honest, the fan poster that dropped shortly after the initial announcement may just edge it out.

Sylvester Stallone seems to be putting a lot into this iteration of Rocky IV, and it sounds like he’s not opposed to making some serious changes. He’s already revealed that the new version will delete one of the theatrical cut’s most polarizing scenes. But while he may be taking things away from the actual film, he’s also adding something special to the eventual release. When the Rocky IV cut finally arrives, it will be accompanied by a documentary titled Keep Punching: The Present Meets the Past.

Back in February, Sylvester Stallone confirmed that he was putting the finishing touches on the director’s cut and, just last month, he marked his final day working on the cut with a cool social media post. At the time of this writing, it’s unclear as to when or how the Rocky IV director’s cut will be released. However, the original film is currently available to stream on HBO Max, which you can sign up for using this link.

Hopefully, this new cut of Rocky IV will be well worth the wait. While the fourth installment in the franchise may not be the most acclaimed, it still has plenty of fans who are likely eager to see an update of the film. We’ll see what Sylvester Stallone has in store when it finally sees the light of day.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.