Drago Could Get His Own Movie Spinoff, According To Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren is ready to rumble as Ivan Drago again. With the release of a director's cut, newly subtitled "Rocky vs. Drago" — not to mention a feature-length behind-the-scenes documentary — "Rocky IV" has been back in the news recently. It's the 1985 Cold War-adjacent movie where the Russian Drago famously left the all-American Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) to die in the boxing ring while celebrating his victory.
When asked for comment, Drago only said, "If he dies, he dies."
In "Rocky IV," Drago would face off against Creed's friend, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone, who also served as writer-director), in the grudge match of the century. An older version of Drago made his reemergence in "Creed II," where his son, Viktor (Florian Munteanu), traded blows with Creed's son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan).
Lundgren also told The Hollywood Reporter that "Creed II" originally had a scene with a brief rematch between Rocky and Drago. It was left on the cutting room floor, but according to Lundgren, there have been discussions of a Drago spinoff at MGM. Of the deleted rematch, he first said:
"I thought it was a good moment. It was also a fan moment. It was a quick little fight, and I thought it worked. But the director [Steven Caple Jr.] and MGM felt that it was extraneous and that it didn't add anything. By the way, I think there's some talk about doing a whole spinoff on Drago with MGM. So you may get more of that."
Giving Drago the Cobra Kai Treatment
The idea of a Drago spinoff brings to mind the current Netflix series, "Cobra Kai," which acts as a sequel to the 1980s "Karate Kid" movies, told from the perspective of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the antagonist who became a victim of a crane kick to the face in the first movie. There's already a significant connection between the "Rocky" franchise and "The Karate Kid" franchise. John G. Avildsen directed the original "Rocky" and the first three "Karate Kid" movies.
As THR notes, "Creed II" was able to humanize Drago a little more so that he wasn't just a cartoon Cold War villain anymore. After years languishing in direct-to-video movies (back when skipping the theater was a sign of less quality), Lundgren made something of a late-career resurgence in the 2010s with his role in "The Expendables" movies and "Aquaman." He's set to appear in "The Expendables 4" and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," and if you close your eyes and say a Russian prayer, maybe you'll see him in a Drago spinoff, too.