The Future of the Rocky Franchise: Dolph Lundgren's Drago Spinoff

Dolph Lundgren Explains the Movie's Delay

After returning to the franchise over 30 years after his debut, Dolph Lundgren offers details on the planned Drago spinoff movie of the Rocky franchise. Having starred as the iconic USSR villain Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Lundgren would reprise his role in the 2018 legacy sequel Creed II, in which he was shown to be training his son Viktor to take down Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed and become the new World Heavyweight Champion. While Munteanu would return for Creed III, Lundgren was absent, but it was revealed Drago was in development in late 2021.

Dolph Lundgren as Ivan Drago punches Rocky in Rocky IV

During a recent interview with Screen Rant for his action-thriller Wanted Man, Lundgren was asked about his future in the Rocky franchise. The star confirmed development is still ongoing for Drago, sharing new details about the story of the spinoff and explaining that its delay stemmed from the success of Creed III, resulting in the studio wanting to push ahead with a sequel to it. Lundgren shared that the Drago script had an interesting storyline with an immigration angle, and he expressed optimism for its future despite the studio's focus on Creed IV.

Dolph Lundgren in Creed II image

While there was some speculation that the spinoff could set up a confrontation between Viktor and Jonathan Majors' Dame in a revenge story, the latter actor's recent legal troubles make it unlikely he will be back in the franchise in any capacity, particularly after being fired from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Regardless of which direction the movie takes, the new details shared by Lundgren indicate that Drago has a lot of potential to match Creed's success.

creed 2 drago deleted scene

Why The Drago Spinoff Should Still Happen

Lundgren's return as Drago in Creed II brought more weight to the franchise than just nostalgia bait. By teaming Viktor with the supporters who abandoned his father and revealing that his mother left his father, it offered a little more nuance to both his past and present actions. Munteanu reprised his role of Viktor Drago in Creed III, initially being sponsored by a now-retired Donnie before helping him train to take down Dame.

Why The Drago Spinoff Should Still Happen

Early reports of Drago indicated that not only would the spinoff expand on Ivan's relationship with his son, but would even go on to explore the backstory of Lundgren's character. With the actor now also revealing that the movie would be an immigration story for both Dragos as they strive to get out of Ukraine in the midst of the Russian invasion, the spinoff could very well be an appropriate depiction of the real-world event that sparked much discontent around the globe.

Why The Drago Spinoff Should Still Happen

Though Lundgren indicates that MGM is focused on developing Creed IV, his optimism for Drago moving forward does prove a promising sign that it will still move forward. Regardless of which direction the movie takes, the new details shared by Lundgren indicate that Drago has a lot of potential to match Creed's success.