Highlights
- Sylvester Stallone's absence from Creed III means he is now excluded from one of his most famous franchises.
- Mr. T's character, Clubber Lang, has only appeared in one Rocky movie to date, despite the character's compelling presence.
- Although Stallone and Mr. T are not particularly close, they have expressed appreciation for each other's work.
During Sylvester Stallone's career, he has amassed a huge fortune which allowed him to live in a mansion he later sold to Adele. On top of becoming rich, Stallone's history of box office supremacy has resulted in him accumulating millions of fans that he tests when they approach him in public.
Sadly for Stallone, however, he was excluded from Creed III which means he is now absent from one of his most famous franchises. Years before Stallone left the franchise, he asked Mr. T to appear in a Rocky movie, but he was reportedly turned down in favor of a failed reality show.
Why Hasn't Mr. T Returned As Clubber Lang In A Rocky Movie?
Since the Creed franchise began in 2015, they have paid tribute to almost all of the Rocky franchise's legacy boxers. Of course, the movie's main character is the son of Apollo Creed and both Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago starred in Creed movies.
Tragically, the actor who portrayed Tommy "The Machine" Gunn in Rocky V passed away in 2013 at only 44 years old. As a result, it obviously was impossible for that character to reappear in any of the Creed movies.
There is only one other high-profile character who boxes in a Rocky movie that hasn't returned. Considering how compelling Mr. T's Clubber Lang was as a character, it is a real shame that he has only appeared in one movie to date.
As it turns out, Lang almost had a major role in a second film since Mr. T was asked to come back to the franchise. However, it wasn't a Creed movie that Mr. T turned down, it was 2006's much-celebrated sequel Rocky Balboa.
During a 2010 interview with Ain't It Cool News, Sylvester Stallone spoke about Lang returning for Rocky Balboa. According to Stallone's comments, he'd written a storyline for Mr. T's character that sounds like it would have been pretty fantastic.
"I had written an elaborate storyline for Mr. T (AKA Clubber Lang,) which was reminiscent of George Foreman, who became a ringside analyst. In the script he was doing blow-by-blow commentary and also talking about his new profession of being an evangelist in the making."
Stallone continued to explain. "I thought it was wonderful because he was describing what it was like to fight Rocky Balboa while Rocky was fighting someone else."
According to Stallone, the reason why things didn't work out the way he intended is because the negotiation with Mr. T went awry. "Unfortunately we couldn’t meet the actor’s financial requirements because we didn’t have enough money to buy fax paper, so I replaced him with HBO commentator Max Kellerman."
Around the time that Rocky Balboa was released, Mr. T spoke to The Globe and Mail to promote his reality show that was premiering at the time. According to what Mr. T told The Globe and Mail, the reason he didn't appear in Rocky Balboa was due to a scheduling conflict.
"Sly asked me about it, but I was filming the pilot episode of I Pity the Fool, so we couldn't connect. But I appreciated it. "
At first glance, it may seem like Stallone and Mr. T's versions of events don't match. In theory, however, that isn't necessarily the case as Stallone didn't say Mr. T was asking for too much money. Instead, Stallone said that production couldn't afford to keep faxing Mr. T. Theoretically, that could be because Mr. T was asking them to move their filming schedule.
Either way, the fact remains that according to Mr. T, he didn't take part in Rocky Balboa, so he could film his reality show. For that reason, it makes sense to look at Mr. T's 2006 reality show I Pity the Fool.
During each episode of I Pity the Fool, Mr. T met with a fan who had something in their life they were trying to overcome. Mr. T would then serve as a life coach for them and get them to take part in activities designed to help them overcome their issues.
A decent reality show with a heartwarming message, I Pity the Fool was very in keeping with the type of message that Mr. T has always tried to send. Unfortunately for Mr. T, however, I Pity the Fool wasn't a hit with audiences.
After premiering in October 2006, only six episodes of I Pity the Fool ever aired and it is now a mostly forgotten show. Assuming Mr. T really did choose to film I Pity the Fool's pilot over his proposed Rocky Balboa role, it is safe to say that was a bad bet.
Are Sylvester Stallone And Mr. T Friends Now?
During Mr. T's aforementioned 2006 interview with The Globe and Mail, he spoke about how he landed his Rocky III role to begin with. Based on Mr. T's comments, it was very clear that he greatly appreciated what Stallone did for his life and career.
"I like Sylvester Stallone, because he gave me an opportunity for Rocky III. That was my first acting job. When I was training for Rocky III, I told him, 'I'm gonna give you 150 per cent every day.' And he said, 'I know you will, T.' I was honored, and I didn't want to let him down."
Based on those comments, it seems pretty clear that Mr. T has a lot of affection for his former Rocky III co-star. During an interview with Elie Seckbach, Mr. T also expressed why he is so loyal to Stallone.
“My mom always said, ‘if you work for a man, be loyal to that man.’ Give him an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. So I didn’t come in [to Rocky III] with a big head and all that stuff. I didn’t ask for a limousine or a Ferrari to pick me up, none of that, uh uh [shakes head]. And I said to him, ‘I’m going to work hard for you. I’m not going to let you down. I’m not going to be partying on Sunset [Boulevard] or whatnot.”
Mr. T then went on to reveal that he isn't close with Stallone, but they still communicate from time to time. “It was last year when I was doing ‘Dancing With The Stars’ [TV show], but he tweeted me a couple of times. But I know he’s busy with Creed [third movie] and all that other stuff. But I’m the type of guy who doesn’t like to get in people’s space. I don’t crowd people.”
Similar to Mr. T, Stallone hasn't said anything to indicate that he is close with his former Rocky III co-star. However, Stallone has expressed his appreciation for Mr. T several times including as part of an Instagram post about Rocky III. "He was game and was actually willing to take full on body shots in the closing minutes of the fight.… He was a great character and Mr T is a great sport. A true original."
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