Sylvester Stallone urges producer to give him some rights to Rocky franchise

Sylvester Stallone admits the ownership rights for the Rocky franchise are a "painful subject".

The 76-year-old actor created and starred in the money-making film franchise and he's now taken to social media to hit out at producer Irwin Winkler, accusing him of withholding the ownership rights to the movies.

Sylvester claims the film rights have been controlled by Irwin for 46 years and he wants them handed over to him so he can pass them on to his son and three daughters.

He made the plea in a candid post on Instagram which he shared alongside a portrait of Winkler depicting him as a snake with a knife for a tongue. 

Sylvester wrote: "A very flattering portrait of The Great Rocky/Creed producer Irwin Winkler, from one of the country's greatest artist (sic)."

He then added: "After Irwin controlled Rocky for over 47 years and now Creed, I really would like to have at least a little of what's left of my rights back, before passing it on to only your children — I believe that would be a fair gesture from this 93-year-old gentleman? (sic)"

Sylvester went on to admit the dispute over the film rights is "painful" but he wants to leave something for his kids.

He wrote: "This is a painful subject that eats at my soul, because I wanted to leave something of Rocky for my children, but it's always great hearing from the loyal fans… Keep punching."

The post came after a previous message which slammed a book called The Arrangement: A Love Story by Winkler's son David.

Sylvester called the novel "unbearable worthless dreck" and added further fuel to his feud with the senior Winkler, claiming there would have been "at least three" more Rocky movies if it wasn't for him.

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He wrote: "If it wasn't for Winkler there would've been at least another three Rockys that would've been wonderful… frankly that crew are the worst unhuman (sic) beings I've ever met in the movie industry. I will forever love the loyal fans and keep punching! Remember it feels good to clear your heart."

Rocky was a huge hit after its release in 1976 — scoring big at the box office and winning three Oscars including the coveted Best Picture gong. Sylvester was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of boxer Rocky Balboa and for Best Screenplay for his writing.

He went on to star in four Rocky sequels as well as 2006's Rocky Balboa and he landed another Oscar nomination for his role in the 2015 spin-off movie Creed in which he revived his boxer character once again.

The actor previously opened up about missing out on an equity stake in the movie franchise, admitting his inexperience in the early days of his career led him to make a big mistake.

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Speaking to Variety in 2019, he explained: "I have zero ownership of Rocky. Every word, every syllable, every grammatical error was all my fault. It was shocking that it never came to be, but I was told, 'Hey, you got paid, so what are you complaining about?' I was furious."

He admitted to being a victim of his own naivety about the movie business and how it works.

He explained that he didn't want to upset any influential figures in the industry, as he was still trying to establish himself at the time.

"You don't want to ruffle the feathers of the golden goose," he added.

Despite this, an industry insider previously questioned Sylvester's complaints.

The source said: "He made money from every angle, and still does, so I don't know what he's complaining about."