Sylvester Stallone is an interesting figure if you think of the totality of his career. Sure, the easy version is the guy who was an action star for decades and appeared in movies that essentially blew things up or solved all problems with a punch to the face. But consider Stallone as an early version of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for a moment (hear me out). Like those two actors who went on to do great things, Stallone wrote “Rocky” as a vehicle for himself. And like Damon and Affleck, Sly was tired of the roles he was getting and wrote “Rocky” to capture the spirit of the underdog and the small, come-from-behind victories all of us can relate to. “Rocky” would go on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture, and earned Stallone a nomination for Best Actor and Original Screenplay. Yes, let’s face it, Stallone did not go on to have the prestigious career of Affleck and Damon and quickly became consumed by the action that dominated his career. Still, the upcoming Netflix documentary “Sly” seems like it’s going to consider the totality of his career and not just the one-dimensional punch-em-up aspects.
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Coming this November, “Sly” is billed as a retrospective documentary about Oscar-nominated actor-writer-director-producer Sylvester Stallone directed by Thom Zimny (“Springsteen on Broadway”). And yes, let’s not forget Stallone has been a filmmaker too, directing (the excellent) “Rocky II,” “Rocky III,” “Staying Alive” with John Travolta, “Rocky IV” and 2008’s “Rambo” and 2010’s “The Expendables,” among others (all those “Rocky” films are good at least!).
While he was not nominated for Best Supporting Actor for “Creed,” he definitely should have been, and he’s been putting some of those more soulful (and comedic) chops on display in the series “Tulsa King” from Taylor Sheridan (and maybe it’s no surprise that Netflix has also done an Arnold Schwarzenegger doc too).
Here’s the official synopsis:
For nearly 50 years, Sylvester Stallone has entertained millions with iconic characters and blockbuster franchises, from Rocky to Rambo to The Expendables. This retrospective documentary offers an intimate look at the Oscar-nominated actor-writer-director-producer, paralleling his inspirational underdog story with the indelible characters he has brought to life.
“Sly” has no official release date, but Netflix says the film will arrive on the streaming service in November. Check out the official trailer below.
