LOS ANGELES — Sylvester Stallone is parting with memorabilia from the “Rocky” and “Rambo” movies, but he’s keeping the two characters alive onscreen.
The 69-year-old entertainer announced that he’ll put hundreds of props and costumes from his 40-year career up for auction in October, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting military charities. Some of the items Stallone has agreed to sell include Rambo’s Army jacket and Rocky’s gloves, robe and boxing trunks.
Stallone isn’t saying goodbye to the characters. Instead, he’s set to become Rocky Balboa again onscreen in “Creed” this fall and is working on another “Rambo” installment.
Stallone said today’s fascination with cinematic superheroes leaves little room for the “lone wolf” or “man against the odds” characters he likes to play.
“That’s kind of why I’m still around, because I embrace that and it’s become kind of a rarity and there’s not many of us left,” he said in a recent interview. “Will that come around again? I don’t think so. Not in its purest form. So I embrace it and that’s why I want to continue to do it until my body explodes.”
First up is “Creed,” by writer-director Ryan Coogler. Stallone is Rocky, but this time he’s coach to a young star boxer played by Michael B. Jordan.
“By no means is this a ‘Rocky 7,’ ” Stallone said. “This is a journey for Michael B. Jordan, who is brilliant in the movie, and Ryan Coogler, (for whom) this is a very personal film.”
When Coogler first approached Stallone about the film, he declined, saying he felt Rocky had “run his course.”
After making “Fruitvale Station,” Coogler returned to discuss the role again.
