Creed II is said to be Sylvester Stallone's final movie as Rocky Balboa. If that's the case, it's particularly unfortunate that this deleted scene wasn't included in the theatrical release. It reveals the death of Spider Rico (Pedro Lovell), who was actually the first opponent fans saw Rocky fight at the start of the 1976 Rocky movie. Spider returned in the 2006 movie Rocky Balboa and was shown working at Rocky's restaurant, Adrian's. Creed II is coming to Blu-ray tomorrow (March 5), including this deleted scene showing Rocky's eulogy for Spider Rico:
The touching 2:45-minute scene, shared by HEiST MOVIE, is packed with nostalgic for Rocky fans. Rocky tells the story of how he first met Spider, so many years ago, and adds some bittersweet personal details...
I remember you saying that you had this daughter, but you couldn't remember where she lived because of all the shots you'd taken. I get that. So me and the cooks, we become like your family. You know, in the ring, you got rules. Outside in the street, you got nothing. And life hits you with all these cheap shots, a lot of low blows, and you take 'em and move on. ... I'm sad you're gone, cause you're like my last friend from the old days. But I'm glad too, 'cause I know wherever you're going it's gotta be better than where you've been.
Wow. Very powerful scene. Sylvester Stallone must've been sorry to lose it. But this is Creed II, not Rocky VII, so as much as it does add to Rocky's story, you could argue the scene would slow the momentum of the rest of Adonis Creed's (Michael B. Jordan) film.
Sylvester Stallone shared another cut scene in some behind-the-scenes footage from Creed II, with Dolph Lundgren and Sly going through fight choreography together. Are we sure Sly doesn't have more Rocky stories to tell? There seems to be a lot more he wanted to say, and if it didn't quite fit in the Creed sequel film, maybe the 72-year-old actor will change his mind on retiring Rocky and prepare another comeback. After all, 72 isn't that old these days, and he still seems to be staying in shape.
Creed II is already available on Digital. The movie arrives on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand Tuesday, March 5. The DVD includes the featurette "The Rocky Legacy." The Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD include deleted scenes, and the featurettes "The Rocky Legacy," "From Father to Son, Blood Runs Hot, "Finding the Authentic," and "The Women of Creed II."
Sylvester Stallone is returning to theaters this year with what sounds like his final role in another franchise: Rambo V: Last Blood opens in theaters September 20, as one of the many movies to keep an eye on in our 2019 movie schedule.
