Carl Weathers is Greef Karga in ‘The Mandalorian,’ season two, exclusively on Disney+
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Carl Weathers has died at the age of 76.
He’s famous for the ‘Rocky’ movies, ‘Predator’ and more.
Tributes have already started to come in for the actor.
Sad news today as action and acting icon Carl Weathers has died at the age of 76.
Weathers, who made his name in the action-orientated likes of ‘Predator’ and the sports drama of the ‘Rocky’ movies, then segued into more comedic roles (often playing himself) and more recently became a key recurring performer on ‘Star Wars’ TV series ‘The Mandalorian.’
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Carl Weathers: Early Life and Career
Carl Weathers in ‘Action Jackson.’ Photo: Lorimar Film Entertainment.
Born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Carl Weathers’ initial career was much more focused on sports, specifically football, relying on athletic prowess to overcome adversity.
He played on teams at Long Beach City College, San Diego State (where he also studied theatre, a nod towards his future) and signed on with the Oakland Raiders in 1970, making a mark as a linebacker.
But after various injuries through his time on the gridiron, he decided in 1974 to focus on performance, pursuing a drama degree at San Francisco State University.
Weathers took a familiar route to screens, working on commercials and smaller roles in movies such as ‘The Candidate’ and ‘Magnum Force’.
(L to R) Carl Weathers and Sylvester Stallone in ‘Rocky II.’ Photo: United Artists.
He got a big break thanks to 1976’s ‘Rocky’, where his critiquing Sylvester Stallone’s acting during his audition won him the role of the cocky, ambitious Apollo Creed, a role he’d play three further times.
(L to R) Carl Weathers and Adam Sandler in ‘Happy Gilmore.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
Some actors might be content with just that successful run, but Weathers took the chance to re-invent himself, often playing versions of himself and appearing in the likes of ‘Happy Gilmore’, ‘Little Nicky’ and as a voice in ‘Eight Crazy Nights’, all alongside Adam Sandler.
He enjoyed several episodes on ‘Arrested Development’ playing a spoof version of himself, who had become an acting tutor.
In addition to a long resume of TV guest credits, he added a whole new generation of fans via his work as Greef Karga, the mercenary wrangler-turned-official for ‘Star Wars’ TV series ‘The Mandalorian.
Weathers also stepped behind the camera as a director, shooting episodes of ‘The Mandalorian’ as well as ‘Law & Order’, ‘Chicago Med’, ‘FBI’ and more. He served on the Directors Guild of America board and various committees, helping others navigate the job.
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Carl Weathers remembered by his family
(Center) Carl Weathers and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987’s ‘Predator.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Weathers’ family announced his death with a statement:
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers. He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. … Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”
Weathers is survived by his ex-wife, Mary Ann, and their two sons.
(Center) Dolph Lundgren in ‘Kindergarten Cop 2.’ Photo: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Assigned to recover sensitive stolen data, a gruff FBI agent (Lundgren) goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher, but the school’s liberal, politically correct environment is more than he bargained for.
When a terrorist group steals the US President’s personal communications computer for launching the US arsenal in case of war, only a heroic Major (Lundgren) has the key to prevent a Presidential assassination or a nuclear holocaust.
When terrorists threaten nuclear catastrophe at Chernobyl, the world’s only hope is to reactivate decommissioned Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Rearmed and reprogrammed, Deveraux must take on his nemesis (Lundgren) from the original ‘Universal Soldier’ and a next-generation “UniSol” that seems almost unstoppable.
When a team of ruthless mercenaries violently seize control of a remote resort hotel, former Special Ops soldiers attending their best friend’s wedding must rely only on their wits and training to combat the terrorists and save the hostages held for ransom.
Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death and wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman (Jason Momoa) down once and for all. To defeat him, Aquaman must turn to his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance in order to save the world from irreversible destruction.
(L to R) Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as “Easy Day”, Megan Fox as “Gina”, Dolph Lundgren as “Gunner Jensen,” Jacob Scipio as “Galan” Andy Garcia as “Marsh” in ‘Expend4bles.’ Copyright: EX4 Productions, Inc. 2022.
A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in ‘Expend4bles.’ Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.
In a dystopian 2021, Johnny (Keanu Reeves) is a data trafficker who has an implant that allows him to securely store data too sensitive for regular computer networks. On one delivery run, he accepts a package that not only exceeds the implant’s safety limits—and will kill him if the data is not removed in time—but also contains information far more important and valuable than he had ever imagined. On a race against time, he must avoid the assassins sent to kill him and remove the data before it, too, ends his life.
After his wife and daughter are murdered in a home invasion, a widower named John (Scott Adkins) now finds himself up against an army of Universal Soldiers in relentless pursuit, led by a mysterious leader who promises to set UniSols free from their conditioning.
A newly-developed microchip designed by Zorin Industries for the British Government that can survive the electromagnetic radiation caused by a nuclear explosion has landed in the hands of the KGB. James Bond (Roger Moore) must find out how and why. His suspicions soon lead him to big industry leader Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) who forms a plan to destroy his only competition in Silicon Valley by triggering a massive earthquake in the San Francisco Bay.
Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) leads a band of highly skilled mercenaries including knife enthusiast Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), a martial arts expert Yin Yang (Jet Li), heavy weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), demolitionist Toll Road (Randy Couture), and a loose-cannon sniper Gunner Jensen (Lundgren). When the group is commissioned by the mysterious Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) to assassinate the dictator of a small South American island, Barney and Lee visit the remote locale to scout out their opposition and discover the true nature of the conflict engulfing the city.
(L to R) Aaron McPherson as “Hilts,” Kelsey Grammer as “Brynner” and Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
Johansen (Lundgren) is an aging detective, whose outdated policing methods have given the department a recent public relations problem. To save his job, he is sent to Mexico to extradite a female witness (Christina Villa) to the murders of two DEA agents. Once there, he finds not only his old opinions challenged, but that bad hombres on both sides of the border are now gunning for him and his witness.
A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru (Steve Carell) hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them, with the backup of his followers, the Minions.
Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.
An American soldier (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who had been killed during the Vietnam War is revived 25 years later by the military as a semi-android, UniSols, a high-tech soldier of the future. After the failure of the initiative to erase all the soldier’s memories, he begins to experience flashbacks that are forcing him to recall his past.
Once home to the most advanced civilization on Earth, Atlantis is now an underwater kingdom ruled by the power-hungry King Orm (Patrick Wilson). With a vast army at his disposal, Orm plans to conquer the remaining oceanic people and then the surface world. Standing in his way is Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), Orm’s half-human, half-Atlantean brother and true heir to the throne.
Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight against an opponent with ties to his family’s past, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is up against the challenge of his life.
(L to R) Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone in ‘The Expendables 2.’ Photo: Lionsgate.
Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.
(Right) Dolph Lundgren as Francis “Frank” Castle in 1989’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Live Entertainment.
The avenging angel of Marvel Comics fame comes brilliantly to life in this searing action-adventure thriller! Lundgren stars as Frank Castle, a veteran cop who loses his entire family to a mafia car bomb. His ex-partner believes Castle survived the blast and became the Punisher, living in the sewers and exacting vigilante violence against mob bosses throughout the city. When the populace is caught in the midst of a gang war that he caused, Castle must again emerge from the shadows and save the innocent.
(Left) Dolph Lundgren as He-Man in 1987’s ‘Masters of the Universe.’ Photo: The Cannon Group.
The world of Eternia in the aftermath of Skeletor’s (Frank Langella) war on Castle Grayskull, which he has won after seizing Grayskull and the surrounding city using a cosmic key developed by the locksmith Gwildor (Billy Barty). The Sorceress (Christina Pickles) is now Skeletor’s prisoner and he begins to drain her life-force as he waits for the moon of Eternia to align with the Great Eye of the Universe that will bestow god-like power upon him.
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren in 1985’s ‘Rocky IV.’
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago (Lundgren), a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.
(L to R) Aaron McPherson as “Hilts,” Kelsey Grammer as “Brynner” and Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
Directing his eighth (!) feature film, veteran action star Dolph Lundgren leans into his age and allows for a little vulnerability in the new thriller ‘Wanted Man.’ Make no mistake: this isn’t high art by any means, and has the sheen and feel of a low-cost direct-to-video (or direct-to-streaming) quickie, right down to the casting of one-time stars like Kelsey Grammer and Michael Paré. But Lundgren handles the action with confidence and tries to do something interesting with his character, even if the rest of the movie doesn’t quite have the same ambition.
(L to R) Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” and Aaron McPherson as “Hilts” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
‘Wanted Man’ opens with a drug deal gone wrong, in which four masked men intrude on a money-for-drugs swap and kill everyone involved, including two undercover DEA agents who seem to recognize the guys slaughtering them. Well, almost everyone is killed: two female escorts hiding in a back room escape and, it turns out, flee to Mexico.
Next we meet aging border police officer Mike Johansen (Lundgren), who probably should retire like most of his pals on the force but is now facing extreme disciplinary measures for beating the crap out of a suspect who happens to be Mexican. Johansen and his friends – which include the retired Brynner (Grammer) and the still active Tinelli (Paré) and Hilts (Aaron McPherson) – are the kind of good old boys who like to hang out in strip clubs after hours, get drunk and then drive, and push anyone with even a slightly darker skin tone than them around (as we see in one scene where Johansen demands to see an Arizona native’s green card).
When Johansen’s boss sends him on a mission to Mexico to bring back the two women who witnessed the DEA murders, it’s pretty easy to see where ‘Wanted Man’ is going. Sure enough, Johansen, the two women, and the Mexican cop accompanying them are ambushed in short order, leaving only a badly wounded Johansen and one of the women, Rosa (Christina Villa), on their own to survive and escape to the border.
(L to R) Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” and Christina Villa as “Rosa” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
‘Wanted Man’ starts out with an underlying tone of ugliness and racism that’s mainly thanks to the unrepentant nature of Johansen and his pals, particularly the nasty Brynner. But along the way, Johansen’s experiences gradually make him aware not just of his own prejudices but also the plight of immigrants desperate to make their way to a potentially better life in America. The movie – with its small cast and budget – thankfully doesn’t attempt to make any larger statements about our border issues, but it is earnest in portraying, through its protagonist’s travails, one man’s attempt to understand others.
Along the way there’s the expected action beats, narrative twists, and double-crosses, all of which you can pretty much see coming from miles away. This is pretty standard action-thriller material, but Lundgren handles it competently and even pulls off a few nice-looking shots while making use of his expansive desert locations. He’s also adept at handling the action sequences, including a tense shootout at a home in Mexico and a couple of standoffs in which he’s not afraid to show his enemies getting the upper hand on him at key moments.
At 86 minutes (including credits), ‘Wanted Man’ is the kind of compact thriller you can pass the time with relatively quickly, and even features a few interesting character relationships that elevate it slightly past the tropes it’s based upon.
The Dolph of It All
Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Perbernal.
Dolph Lundgren stars in, directs, co-produces, and has co-written ‘Wanted Man,’ making it clear that a) this is a story he feels personally attached to, and b) he wants to exercise some kind of quality control over the output of his later career. Lundgren has starred in dozens of direct-to-video action programmers that many of us have never seen, but with his profile recently raised by a supporting role in the two ‘Aquaman’ movies and a surprisingly affecting return as an older, wiser Ivan Drago in ‘Creed II,’ Lundgren seems more visible than he’s been in a long time.
He’ll never win an Oscar, but he brings a world-weariness and still-imposing physicality to the role of Johansen that makes the character believable enough, particularly as his arc bends from racism and anger to empathy and acceptance. He’s not afraid to show himself getting hurt, and to give generous screen time to his co-stars, particularly Villa, with whom he shares a decent chemistry thankfully free of any contrived sexual tension.
(L to R) Daniela Soto-Brenner as “Leticia” and Christina Villa as “Rosa” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
Villa herself is not incredibly expressive but displays intelligence and fire – although conversely her portrayal of an escort is less realistic since you have to wonder how she got there in the first place. As for the rest of the cast, it’s fun to see Michael Paré (‘Streets of Fire’) pop up, but he, Grammer, and most of the other male characters are given one-dimensional treatment that pegs them right away as either good guys or villains.
In the end, though, this is really the Dolph Lundgren show, and if you’re a fan then ‘Wanted Man’ will probably work for you.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
Despite a surprisingly prolific career, Dolph Lundgren was never as big a star as the likes of contemporaries Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone or even Chuck Norris. Yet there’s an intelligence at work that tries to bring something other than the standard mix of violence and chest-beating to even a small movie like ‘Wanted Man.’ While the film skimps in developing most of its other characters in a meaningful way, and gets ugly at times, Lundgren gives a believable performance, and wrings just enough tension out of the narrative as director to keep one’s attention for 80 minutes.
‘Wanted Man’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘Wanted Man’?
Travis Johansen (Lundgren) is an aging detective, whose outdated policing methods have given the department a recent public relations problem. To save his job, he is sent to Mexico to extradite a female witness (Christina Villa) to the murders of two DEA agents. Once there, he finds not only his old opinions challenged, but that bad hombres on both sides of the border are now gunning for him and his witness.
Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Perbernal.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dolph Lundgren about his work on ‘Wanted Man,’ developing the screenplay, the themes he wanted to explore, his character’s arc, working with Christina Villa, casting old friends Kelsey Grammer and Michael Paré, why he likes directing, collaborating with his crew, and how his years of experience helped him shoot the action sequences.
Lundgren also discussed the long rumored ‘Rocky’ and ‘Creed’ spinoff movie, ‘Drago,’ if it’s still in development, and why it’s important to have Sylvester Stallone involved with the project.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
(L to R) Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about developing the screenplay and as a director, what were the themes that you were excited to explore with this movie?
Dolph Lundgren: I started developing the idea of this was about 15 years ago and other things came up. It was kind of loosely based on this (Clint) Eastwood movie called ‘The Gauntlet,’ where he goes and has an interstate transfer of a prisoner. I changed that to Mexico and then a couple of years back, the original writer and I started talking about making it about immigration because it’s a hot topic. Then I decided maybe I should make this character somebody who is a bit bitter and angry at the world and got something to learn. So, by ending up in Mexico, he ends up going through this physical journey and trial, but also an emotional challenge to his beliefs system. So those are the themes I wanted to touch upon.
MF: Can you talk about Travis’ personal views on society, how those ideas are challenged during the movie and how he ultimately changes as a character?
DL: At the top of the film, this guy, obviously he’s an old timer. He’s in law enforcement. He’s bitter at the world. He’s got these friends who reinforce those ideas in him. I don’t think he’s really a bad guy. He’s in a bad spot in his life, especially at the beginning of the movie, where he has a run in with an illegal alien and his policing methods aren’t the greatest. He’s a bit old-fashioned and he ends up getting in trouble with the press and with the mayor’s office, and to save his career they send him down to bring these two prisoners back and they’re really witnesses in a murder investigation of two federal agents. So, when he gets to Mexico, things are way more complicated than he thought, and nothing goes as planned. Then, by meeting various people who help him, he ends up changing his mind about a lot of things. I would say he comes back a changed man.
MF: What was it like for you as an actor to get to play an arc like that?
DL: It was interesting. When I started working on the character, he kind of reminded me of my dad. My dad was an intelligent man, but he was set in his ways, and he had a lot of anger and frustration and he never really got to turn the corner. He got a little more enlightened when he got older as people do, but not really. So, I sort of played a little bit of my dad in the beginning and I thought it was fun. It was satisfying to get to play an arc. It’s always what you look for as an actor because it gives you something to do that is a little more challenging than just playing the moment. So, I enjoyed it.
(L to R) Daniela Soto-Brenner as “Leticia” and Christina Villa as “Rosa” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
MF: Can you talk about the friendship Travis forms with Rosa and working on that relationship with Christina Villa?
DL: So, one of the witnesses is this woman named Rosa who’s a Mexican prostitute. She had to do that to survive in the states and then she’s been a witness of these murders. My character first doesn’t like her. She doesn’t like me at all. We were not the greatest of friends, but slowly we get to know each other, and it was a challenging character to find somebody to play. I wanted somebody who was Hispanic and had some experience about that and she did, and I thought she was great. I had a lot of Hispanic actors (on the set) and they were always good to ask because they would come up and say, “Well, maybe we should change this to that because this is the way we say it or this is how we feel.” I would always say, “Yeah, fine. You guys know,” and she did that. She came with some good suggestions.
MF: Can you talk about casting veteran actors Kelsey Grammer and Michael Paré?
DL: I enjoyed working with them. I know Kelsey from ‘The Expendables 3’ and then socially I’ve spent some time with him, and we always try to do something together. I thought it would be an interesting choice because he’s not what you expect. Michael Paré, I worked with him about 15 years ago, and he was always such a great guy. He’s such a good worker and stand-up guy, and I thought he’d be good. I enjoyed working with them.
Kelsey Grammer as “Brynner” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
MF: Can you talk about your approach to directing this movie, and what do you like about directing?
DL: What I do like is for these smaller movies that I feel like I have a lot of experience that I can bring to the table. Maybe more than a lot of directors that I could afford to hire. So, I feel like it’s easy to keep it all in-house. If I write, direct and even star or co-star, then I know nobody’s going to mess with the picture or do something that’s going to hurt it. I think my approach is to prepare quite well and speak to all the actors about a month ahead of time about their backstories, the characters and the relationships so that when we show up on set and I don’t have to say that much. It just comes alive in the moment. Then I try to be very quick as a director. I don’t like doing too many takes and trying to get seven different variations. If something works, in my experience, it works. Usually, you’re not going to get anything that’s more than 10% better, even if you keep shooting another twenty takes. So, I try to keep it moving forward very quickly, and I try to get the first shot off very quickly in the morning. I learned that from an old-timer, and he was funny. He would just go up to the DP and say, “Okay, you see that plane landing, shoot that.” So, everybody in the crew hears “Rolling,” like after 20 minutes. So, they’re like, “Oh, we’re working already. I don’t do that all the time, but he always said, “You got to get the first shot off within an hour, otherwise everything grinds to a halt.” So now that’s kind of my approach to it.
MF: Can you talk about working with your crew both during production and post-production?
DL: I had a problem on this picture because we had some issues in New Mexico with the crew. It was right after Covid and Netflix was in Albuquerque hiring a bunch of people, so we had difficulties putting it together. I had problems with the financing towards the end, so I didn’t have sufficient time to storyboard as much as I wanted. I did that on my last picture. Next time I’m going to storyboard. I like storyboarding a lot. I think it’s helpful and it gives you a chance to think about it visually before you’re on set and you’re going crazy because you must get the shot off and there’s a lot of other things happening. I enjoy working with the DP. I enjoy storyboarding and post-production is very important, obviously, the editing and the post-production, especially when you’re on a short schedule. So, you must cut corners when you’re shooting, and you may have to make up for it in editing or in the way you work with picture quality or sound later. So, all of those are fun. I enjoy all of it really.
(L to R) Aaron McPherson as “Hilts,” Kelsey Grammer as “Brynner” and Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
MF: Did your decades of experience making action movies come in handy when you were creating and shooting the action sequences for ’Wanted Man’?
DL: It does come in handy, and I’ve done a lot of action with various directors and different stunt coordinators. I have my way to shoot it so I can try to get as many cuts as possible in the shortest amount of time possible since when you edit, you just need more angles to build an action scene, usually you need a lot of angles. It’s a function of the number of cuts, how good it’s going to be usually. So, I think my experience comes in handy. Also speaking to the actors and talking to the stunt guys. I mean, I have a lot of respect for stunt people and always listen to them and safety is first. But I think there is a way not to waste time doing action, which I’ve been in movies where they waste a lot of time shooting stuff that I know we were not going to use.
MF: Finally, can you give an update on the long rumored ‘Drago’ movie? Is that project still happening and are you still involved in it?
DL: I was involved in it. It was in the works for a while. I think what happened was there was some corporates changes. MGM got a new president and new ownership, and things were sidelined for a while. Then ‘Creed III’ came out and did very well. So, ‘Creed IV,’ they started planning that. They’re trying to figure out where to put Drago in the franchise. Where does he fit in? Probably between ‘III’ and ‘IV.’ So, it’s still on the works. I think it would be a great project and it would be something fun to work with (Sylvester) Stallone on because he created those characters and he’s very smart about it. So hopefully it’ll get made at some point before I’m too old.
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What is the plot of ‘Wanted Man’?
Travis Johansen (Lundgren) is an aging detective, whose outdated policing methods have given the department a recent public relations problem. To save his job, he is sent to Mexico to extradite a female witness (Christina Villa) to the murders of two DEA agents. Once there, he finds not only his old opinions challenged, but that bad hombres on both sides of the border are now gunning for him and his witness.
(L to R) Dolph Lundgren as “Johansen” and Christina Villa as “Rosa” in the action thriller, ‘Wanted Man,’ a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross in ‘The Expendables 4.’
Sylvester Stallone is an actor, writer, director, producer, movie star, living legend and Hollywood icon.
Stallone first made a name for himself by writing and starring in 1976’s Oscar-winning ‘Rocky,” which shot him to super fame and he was cemented as a movie star after appearing in ‘First Blood‘ as John Rambo. Both films have spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs, including ‘Creed,’ for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Over the past 40 years Stallone has become one of Hollywood’s most reliable movie stars and has gone on to appear in such popular films as ‘Cobra,’ ‘Tango & Cash,’ ‘Cliffhanger,’ ‘Demolition Man,’ ‘Cop Land,’ and ‘The Expendables‘ franchise, the forth of which, ‘Expend4bles‘ opens in theaters on September 22nd.
In honor of Stallone’s new movie, which he has said will be his last appearance in the series, Moviefone is counting down the 35 best movies of Sylvester Stallone’s career, including his latest.
Sylvester Stallone in ‘Rambo: Last Blood.’ Photo: Lionsgate.
After fighting his demons for decades, John Rambo (Stallone) now lives in peace on his family ranch in Arizona, but his rest is interrupted when Gabriela (Yvette Monreal), the granddaughter of his housekeeper María (Adriana Barraza), disappears after crossing the border into Mexico to meet her biological father. Rambo, who has become a true father figure for Gabriela over the years, undertakes a desperate and dangerous journey to find her.
Carmen’s (Alexa Vega) caught in a virtual reality game designed by the Kids’ new nemesis, the Toymaker (Stallone). It’s up to Juni (Daryl Sabara) to save his sister, and ultimately the world.
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33. ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985)
John Rambo (Stallone) is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he’d want to return – the jungles of Vietnam.
When governments fail to act on behalf of captive missionaries, ex-Green Beret John James Rambo (Stallone) sets aside his peaceful existence along the Salween River in a war-torn region of Thailand to take action. Although he’s still haunted by violent memories of his time as a U.S. soldier during the Vietnam War, Rambo can hardly turn his back on the aid workers who so desperately need his help.
Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.
His Wife (Talia Shire) is dead and his Son (Milo Ventimiglia) hates him but this old man still has fight in him! When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa (Stallone), reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) retaliates by challenging Rocky to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who’s faster, stronger, and thirty years his junior.
Barney Ross (Stallone) leads a band of highly skilled mercenaries including knife enthusiast Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), a martial arts expert Yin Yang (Jet Li), heavy weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), demolitionist Toll Road (Randy Couture), and a loose-cannon sniper Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren). When the group is commissioned by the mysterious Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) to assassinate the dictator of a small South American island, Barney and Lee visit the remote locale to scout out their opposition and discover the true nature of the conflict engulfing the city.
May Munro (Sharon Stone) is a woman obsessed with getting revenge on the people who murdered her parents when she was still a girl. She hires Ray Quick (Stallone), a retired explosives expert to kill her parent’s killers. When Ned Trent (James Woods), embittered ex-partner of Quick’s is assigned to protect one of Quick’s potential victims, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues.
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan in ‘Creed II.’
Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight against an opponent with ties to his family’s past, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is up against the challenge of his life.
Combat has taken its toll on Rambo (Stallone), but he’s finally begun to find inner peace in a monastery. When Rambo’s friend and mentor Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) asks for his help on a top secret mission to Afghanistan, Rambo declines but must reconsider when Trautman is captured.
Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Assassin Robert Rath (Stallone) arrives at a funeral to kill a prominent mobster, only to witness a rival hired gun (Antonio Banderas) complete the job for him — with grisly results. Horrified by the murder of innocent bystanders, Rath decides to take one last job and then return to civilian life. But finding his way out of the world of contract killing grows ever more dangerous as Rath falls for his female target (Julianne Moore) and becomes a marked man himself.
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross in ‘Expend4bles.’
Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Statham, Lundgren, Couture, and Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.
Ray Breslin (Stallone) is the world’s foremost authority on structural security. After analyzing every high security prison and learning a vast array of survival skills so he can design escape-proof prisons, his skills are put to the test. He’s framed and incarcerated in a master prison he designed himself. He needs to escape and find the person (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who put him behind bars.
Jack Carter (Stallone), a mob enforcer living in Las Vegas, travels back to his hometown of Seattle for his brother’s funeral. During this visit, Carter realizes that the death of his brother was not accidental, but a murder. With this knowledge, Carter sets out to kill all those responsible.
Set in 1958, the coming of age story follows four lower middle-class Brooklyn teenagers (Stallone, Henry Winkler, Perry King and Paul Mace) known as The Lords of Flatbush. The Lords chase girls, steal cars, shoot pool, get into street fights, and hang out at a local malt shop.
Sylvester Stallone voices King Shark in ‘The Suicide Squad.’ Photo: Warner Bros./DC Comics.
Welcome to Belle Reve, the prison where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out, even join the super-secret Task Force X. Today’s assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), King Shark (Stallone), and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie).
Now arm them heavily and drop them on the enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) on the ground to make them behave, and Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement.
A group of POWs (Stallone, Michael Caine and Pelé) in a German prison camp during World War II play the German National Soccer Team in this powerful film depicting the role of prisoners during wartime.
Now the world champion, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) is living in luxury and only fighting opponents who pose no threat to him in the ring, until Clubber Lang (Mr. T) challenges him to a bout. After taking a pounding from Lang, the humbled champ turns to former bitter rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) for a rematch with Lang.
A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker (Stallone) and his partner, Hal (Michael Rooker), are called to return to the same peak to rescue a group of stranded climbers, only to learn the climbers are actually thieving hijackers who are looking for boxes full of money.
Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), a violent criminal cryogenically frozen in 1996, escapes during a parole hearing in 2032 in the utopia of San Angeles. Police are incapable of dealing with his violent ways and turn to his captor (Stallone), who had also been cryogenically frozen after being wrongfully accused of killing 30 innocent people while apprehending Phoenix.
After Rocky (Stallone) goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian (Talia Shire) but can’t put his life together outside the ring, while Creed seeks a rematch to restore his reputation. Soon enough, the “Master of Disaster” and the “Italian Stallion” are set on a collision course for a climactic battle that is brutal and unforgettable.
Ray Tango (Stallone) and Gabriel Cash (Kurt Russell) are narcotics detectives who, while both being extremely successful, can’t stand each other. Crime Lord Yves Perret (Jack Palance), furious at the loss of income that Tango and Cash have caused him, frames the two for murder. Caught with the murder weapon on the scene of the crime, the two have no alibi. Thrown into prison with most of the criminals they helped convict, it appears that they are going to have to trust each other if they are to clear their names and catch the evil Perret.
Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men (Liam Hemsworth) is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren in 1985’s ‘Rocky IV.’
Rocky Balboa proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.
When former Green Beret John Rambo (Stallone) is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, the Vietnam vet snaps, runs for the hills and rat-a-tat-tats his way into the action-movie hall of fame. Hounded by a relentless sheriff (Brian Dennehy), Rambo employs heavy-handed guerilla tactics to shake the cops off his tail.
The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa (Stallone) serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).
Freddy Heflin (Stallone) is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.
Sylvester Stallone in 1977’s ‘Rocky.’ Photo: United Artists.
When world heavyweight boxing champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) wants to give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers choose palooka Rocky Balboa (Stallone), an uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark. Rocky teams up with trainer Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) to make the most of this once in a lifetime break.
While it is 1976’s Academy Award winning ‘Rocky‘ that is now considered the gold standard in boxing movies, there have been many great ones over the years including Martin Scorsese‘s ‘Raging Bull,’ the Oscar-winning Muhammad Ali documentary ‘When We Were Kings,’ as well as the biopic ‘Ali‘ starring Will Smith.
Not to mention the long running ‘Rocky’ franchise which has produced six ‘Rocky’ movies and three ‘Creed‘ spinoffs, including the latest, ‘Creed III,’ which is the first movie in the series to not feature Sylvester Stallone, but was directed by star Michael B. Jordan and opens in theaters on March 3rd.
In honor of ‘Creed III’s release, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best boxing movies of all time, including ‘Creed III.’
His Wife (Talia Shire) is dead and his Son (Milo Ventimiglia) hates him but this old man still has fight in him! When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) retaliates by challenging Rocky to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who’s faster, stronger, and thirty years his junior.
A pair of aging boxing rivals (Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro) are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout — 30 years after their last match.
The more you love, the harder you fight. The world looks at Billy Flynn (Jon Voight) and sees a has-been who seemingly never was, an ex-boxing champion slammed to the mat years ago by booze and gambling. But Billy’s son TJ (Ricky Schroder) sees what the world doesn’t. He knows what his flawed but loving father is, was and always will be – The Champ.
The inspirational story of World Champion Boxer Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller), who after a near fatal car crash, which left him not knowing if he’d ever walk again, made one of sports most incredible comebacks.
After Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian (Talia Shire) but can’t put his life together outside the ring, while Creed seeks a rematch to restore his reputation. Soon enough, the “Master of Disaster” and the “Italian Stallion” are set on a collision course for a climactic battle that is brutal and unforgettable.
Despondent over a painful estrangement from his daughter, trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) isn’t prepared for boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) to enter his life. But Maggie’s determined to go pro and to convince Dunn and his cohort to help her.
Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a washed-up fighter who retired from the ring when robots took over the sport. After his robot is trashed, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son (Dakota Goyo) to rebuild and train an unlikely contender.
The true story of boxer Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe) who, in the 1920s following his retirement, makes a surprise comeback in order to get him and his family out of a socially poor state.
Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight against an opponent with ties to his family’s past, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is up against the challenge of his life.
Nineteen-year-old Danny Flynn (Daniel Day-Lewis) is imprisoned for his involvement with the I.R.A. in Belfast. He leaves behind his family and his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Maggie Hamill (Emily Watson). Fourteen years later, Danny is released from prison and returns to his old working class neighborhood to resume his life as a boxer.
In 1964, a brash, new pro boxer, fresh from his Olympic gold medal victory, explodes onto the scene: Cassius Clay (Will Smith). Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self-confidence and his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. Yet at the top of his game, both Ali’s personal and professional lives face the ultimate test.
Now the world champion, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is living in luxury and only fighting opponents who pose no threat to him in the ring, until Clubber Lang (Mr. T) challenges him to a bout. After taking a pounding from Lang, the humbled champ turns to former bitter rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) for a rematch with Lang.
After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damien Anderson (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damien – a fighter who has nothing to lose.
Boxer “Irish” Micky Ward’s (Mark Wahlberg) unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His ‘Rocky’-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky (Christian Bale), a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO’d by drugs and crime.
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.
Billy “The Great” Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, has an impressive career, a loving wife (Rachel McAdams) and daughter (Oona Laurence), and a lavish lifestyle. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his family, his house and his manager. He soon finds an unlikely savior in Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker), a former fighter who trains the city’s toughest amateur boxers. With his future on the line, Hope fights to reclaim the trust of those he loves the most.
The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).
It’s 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the “Rumble in the Jungle” is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America’s top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.
When world heavyweight boxing champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) wants to give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers choose palooka Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), an uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark. Rocky teams up with trainer Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) to make the most of this once in a lifetime break.
This is less breaking news and more “I must break you” news.
Given how successful the two ‘Creed’ movies – which continue the story of the ‘Rocky’ films while focusing on Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of Apollo Creed, as so memorably played by Carl Weathers in the 1970s and ‘80s – it’s not surprising that studio MGM might be considering spin-offs.
Word arrives today that just such an idea, a movie based around Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, is moving to the script stage.
Drago, of course, was the hulking Russian antagonist in 1985’s ‘Rocky IV,’ (who kills Apollo Creed, the fiend). Continuing the family theme, his son Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) was the threat to Adonis in 2018’s ‘Creed II’.
Lundgren himself acted as hype man for a Drago movie back in November last year when talking to The Hollywood Reporter. After admitting his disappointment that a fan-pleasing fight with Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa hit the cutting room floor from ‘Creed II’, he teased seeing more of Drago: “I think there’s some talk about doing a whole spinoff on Drago with MGM. So you may get more of that.”
According to The Wrap, Robert Lawton is now on board to write the script for the new movie. He reportedly impressed executives with his spec screenplay ‘Becoming Rocky’ which chronicled the behind-the-scenes efforts to make the 1976 original.
(L to R) Michael B. Jordan and Florian Munteanu in 2018’s ‘Creed II.’
And he had an idea for a Drago-centric movie that excited MGM’s team enough to score him the job. No details have emerged about what that story might be, but there is plenty of scope for more of Drago and potentially Viktor’s story to be told.
Now we wait to see whether the bell rings on this one and if a director steps aboard to guide it out of the development dressing room.
There is related, and not so good news about the next iteration of the main ‘Creed’ franchise, though chances are it’s more to give the movie time to be finished.
Star Jordan – who once again leads the cast as Adonis – stepped up to direct this latest movie, but while it was targeting a November 23rd release date until recently, it is now on the move to March 3rd next year.
And this ‘Creed’ will be without possibly its heaviest hitter besides Jordan, as this is the first in the new series not to include Stallone.
Still, ‘Creed III’ still boasts Tessa Thompson reprising her role as Donnie’s girlfriend Bianca and Phylicia Rashad is returning as his stepmother Mary Anne in its corner.
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren in 1985’s ‘Rocky IV.’
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