Sylvester Stallone is writing a Rocky prequel that's "almost like Lady and the Tramp"

Sylvester Stallone has teased an upcoming Rocky prequel – and compared it to an unlikely Disney animated classic. 

"The Rocky prequel is very near and dear to my heart," Stallone told the Inspire Me podcast. "I wrote a few pages of it and it just seems to write itself. Seeing Adrian at 15, Rocky at 17, Paulie moving to a new neighborhood. Rocky is your bad boy. It's almost like Lady and the Tramp, but with real people. It's going to be wonderful."

Adrian is Rocky's love interest (and, by Rocky II, his wife), played by Talia Shire in the original movies, while Paulie is Adrian's older brother and Rocky's best friend, who was played by Burt Young. Stallone was 29 when the first Rocky movie was released, so it seems like the prequel will be set around 10 years before the events of the 1976 film. And, based on his Lady and the Tramp comparison, it looks we can expect a focus on Rocky and Adrian's relationship.

There's been talk of a prequel TV series since 2019, but updates have been few and far between and the project hasn't appeared to get off the ground. The fact that Stallone has written "a few pages" of the script is a promising sign that the ball may be rolling, though. 

Stallone wrote all six of the Rocky movies, as well as starring in them, and he directed four of them. He appeared in two of the three Creed movies, which star Michael B. Jordan as the son of Apollo Creed, too. 

While we wait for more news of the Rocky prequel, check out our guide to the best upcoming movies still on the way in 2024.