Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Rocky’ Musical Premieres, Actor Hopes For Knock-Out

Sylvester Stallone was in Germany Sunday to open a new musical adaptation of his hit boxing film Rocky.

The 66-year-old action star is still rocking a comeback, though he hasn’t let recent box office success dull his appetite for other creative venues. Stallone, who created and starred in the lucrative Rocky franchise, teamed up with champion boxing brothers Vladimir and Vitali Klitschko to adapt his 1976 hit Rocky for the stage as a musical sometime last year.

Over the weekend, Stallone traveled to Hamburg for the Rocky musical’s opening night, and is hoping the show will be a “knock-out” for audiences.

Though reviews are yet to come in, Stallone himself seems proud of the Rocky musical. In a statement, the actor said: “I’m so happy. It’s amazing that the Klitschkos are here and they’re giving birth to something that is first on the planet. I’m proud of you guys. I’m proud of Hamburg. Thank you!”

Vitali added, “Sylvester Stallone is the Pope of Rocky. Without Sylvester, nothing happens. He’s given birth to the idea and we’ve had lots of fun during our cooperation. We’re very convinced it will be successful.”

Though German reception hasn’t come in yet, we’ll get a taste of the Rocky musical for ourselves when it takes on Broadway some time in 2013.

We’re hoping for the best here, but remember that a musical adaptation of a successful film doesn’t always work. The infamous Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark serves now as a cautionary tale, being the most expensive Broadway production of all time and suffering various production woes and scathing reviews from critics.

The Rocky musical might not be as visually ambitious as all that, but the dramatic change in medium might turn some off. Still, we’ll give it a fair shot (with an ounce of skepticism).

Do you think that the Rocky musical will pay off for Sylvester Stallone?