Sylvester Stallone to narrate the documentary '40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a classic'

Released in 1976, Rocky stars Sylvester Stallone as Robert “Rocky” Balboa. The movie became a surprise blockbuster with Stallone rising to fame. Now as the film completes 40 years, a documentary series titled 40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a classic will be released digitally. Read to know more.

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Rocky documentary series to release digitally

Sylvester Stallone will be narrating 40 Years of Rock documentary series which is a rare home movie filmed by the Rocky director John G. Avildsen. It will showcase the making of the first and will include exclusive never seen before footage. The documentary is written and directed by Derek Wayne Johnson, who served as co-producer with Chris May of Cinema 83 Documentary Films and Cinema 83 Entertainment. It will release digitally on June 9 in the US.

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In an interview with a leading daily, John G. Avildsen said that the documentary is a “golden nugget” for Rocky fans and casual audiences alike. He stated that it is a charming piece of film history narrated by Rocky himself, that is, Sylvester Stallone. It will give audiences an intimate, and at times, emotional experience.

Derek Wayne Johnson said that they are proud of the 40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a classic. Audiences can expect new stories and new footage that they have never seen before in a blend of director John Avildsen’s home movies. He mentioned that it will feature rehearsal footage and behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the ultimate underdog film.

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Rocky is a sports drama film written by Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated, kind-hearted working-class Italian-American boxer, working as a debt collector for a loan shark in the slums of Philadelphia. Rocky, a small-time club fighter, gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship. The movie also features Talia Shire as Adrian, Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer Mickey Goldmill, Burt Young as Adrian's brother Paulie and Carl Weathers as the reigning champion, Apollo Creed.

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Made on a budget of just over $1 million, Rocky became a sleeper hit, with reportedly earning $225 million at the worldwide box office, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1976. Critics, as well as the audiences, praised the film and Sylvester Stallone’s performances which began his rise to fame as a major movie star. The film received ten Academy Award nominations, winning three, including Best Picture, along with several other accolades. The success turned into a franchise with seven sequels: Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Rocky V (1990), Rocky Balboa (2006), Creed (2015), and Creed II (2018).