news.yahoo.com Sylvester Stallone thinks it's time to show people that the careers of "guys like me," can last long after most people retire, and he sets out to prove it in his new movie, "Rocky Balboa."
"This is uncharted waters. People are living longer. They are healthier. They have more ambition, more energy, yet society is telling them to move aside," Stallone told Reuters. "It's different now, and I thought, 'Boy, if I could just come up with a dramatic premise to use as a platform."'
"Balboa," which debuts in U.S. theaters on December 20, is the sixth movie in a series that began with 1976's "Rocky." Stallone famously raised about $1 million to make that low-budget film based on a screenplay he wrote and would not sell to Hollywood's studios unless he was the star.
The original movie tells of a hapless boxer, Rocky "The Italian Stallion" Balboa, who overcomes huge odds to better his life. It became a surprise smash hit, earning over $117 million at U.S. box offices ($362 million in today's dollars), winning the Oscar for best film, and making Stallone a worldwide star.
Four other movies followed the Philadelphia boxer through various stages -- career success, family troubles and bankruptcy.
Stallone said the lovable lug has been championed by fans because he is humble, can be self-deprecating and is sometimes fearful of what life offers.
"He has an almost childlike naivete in the body of a very courageous fighter," Stallone said.
Stallone said he wanted a nobler ending to the "Rocky" series than in 1990's "Rocky V," in which Balboa fights a young boxer he trained to help save himself from financial collapse.