Potential Rocky VII
In 2009, Stallone gave an interview to the German newsmagazine Tele5 whereupon he mentioned that although it sounds foolish to some he feels he needs to make another Rocky movie, because "artists must again and again go through the dark." He also stated cryptically that the movie would likely be about getting older rather than boxing. At least one top executive at MGM has speculated they have plans to continue the Rocky franchise, based both on the overall gross of the movies (over 1 billion dollars) and the overwhelming positive commercial and critical reception that met Rocky Balboa. Later it became clear that the German magazine had picked up quotes from Stallone before he made Rocky Balboa. Stallone has since focused on a sequel to his action movie The Expendables, but has mentioned that the Rocky saga will continue, and the older he gets the more necessary it is to write another Rocky movie. The fact that seasoned "hurt bombs" can prevail over naive young talent was proven in Rocky Balboa.