One of last year's biggest surprise hits was the boxing drama Creed, which put a new spin on the iconic Rocky Balboa story, nine years after Sylvester Stallone's last portrayal of the character, in 2006's Rocky Balboa. This time around, the former champ doesn't get into the ring, but he is sought out to train young Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of Rocky's friend Apollo Creed. MGM has already announced plans for Creed 2, which the studio hopes to release in 2017, although it seems that Sylvester Stallone is quite hesitant about playing Rocky Balboa once again. Here's what he had to say to Variety, during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival last night.

"I really have mixed feelings about this, seriously. I feel like Rocky, at the end of this movie on the steps, with the help of a young man, and he looks out and says, 'From here, you can see your whole life' - it sort of summarizes the whole thing. I don't know how much further you can push Rocky."

Of course, the actor thought for years that Rocky Balboa would be his last movie, until writer-director Ryan Coogler managed to convince the icon to reprise his beloved role. The movie was an instant hit with fans and critics alike, taking in over $167 million at the worldwide box office, from just a $35 million budget, with Sylvester Stallone considered by many to be the front runner to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in just a few weeks. It's also worth noting that, just last month, the actor revealed a few story possibilities for the sequel as well.

Sylvester Stallone said that writer-director Ryan Coogler is toying with the possibility of bringing Carl Weathers back as Apollo Creed, with part of the story taking place in the past, before Apollo died in the ring during Rocky IV. He also compared the sequel's story to The Godfather: Part II, which switched back and forth from the present to the past. However, it isn't even known if Ryan Coogler himself can come back to direct.

The filmmaker recently signed on to direct Marvel's Black Panther, which is already set for release on February 16, 2018. If MGM does plan on releasing Creed 2 in late 2017, they very well may have to find another director to make this happen. Do you think Sylvester Stallone should bring Rocky Balboa back in Creed 2? Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for more updates.