Sylvester Stallone has confirmed that he is working on a prequel to one of his most iconic characters, Rocky, with the actor and director sharing the pitch in the form of some handwritten notes. While the project is clearly in the very early stages, it appears that, despite Stallone saying the character is now retired, Rocky Balboa is coming back for one more round.

"This may be the strangest posting yet. I started out this morning by writing a treatment for a Rocky prequel For streaming. Ideally 10 episodes for a few seasons to really get to the heart of the Characters in there younger years - Here is a small portion of how my creative writing Process starts...Hope it happens - And then I needed to clear my head so I went fishing... Talk about extremes! Keep punching my friends."

Released in 1976, the first Rocky was written by and stars Sylvester Stallone as the title character. In this rags to riches story, Rocky Balboa, an uneducated, kind-hearted working class Italian American boxer, is given the once in a lifetime shot at the big time when he is asked to fight heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. In a bid to earn respect and glory, Rocky jumps into the ring, unaware of the tough task ahead of him. Rocky is still considered to be one of the most iconic sports movies of all time having spawned a hugely successful franchise, which has continued in the modern day in the form of Creed.

The first Creed was released back in 2015 and continues Sylvester Stallone's Rocky saga from a whole new perspective, introducing audiences to Adonis, the conflicted son of boxing champion Apollo Creed. Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, who died before Adonis was born. With boxing in his blood, Adonis seeks out Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and asks the retired champ to be his trainer. Rocky sees much of Apollo in Adonis, and agrees to mentor him, even as he battles an opponent deadlier than any he has faced in the ring. Creed was critically praised, emerging as a very worthy continuation of the Rocky franchise for the modern age.

The 2018 sequel, Creed 2, continues the Rocky Balboa/Ivan Drago rivalry that began in 1985's Rocky IV, and finds Adonis accepting a challenge from Drago's son. While not quite as well-received as its predecessor, Creed 2 continued the success of the long-running series well.

Jordan has now been confirmed to be both directing and starring another installment in the franchise, Creed 3, with the actor making his directorial debut. The script is currently being written by Keenan Coogler and Zack Baylin based on an outline by Ryan Coogler. It's unclear at this time whether Stallone will return as Rocky. Creed 3 was recently given a holiday-friendly release date of 23 November 2022.

Stallone has said in the past that he will not play Rocky Balboa again saying, "It's been my ultimate privilege to have been able to create and play this meaningful character. Though it breaks my heart, sadly all things must pass... and end." Despite this, the character clearly didn't hear no bell. This comes to us from Sylvester Stallone's official Instagram account.