Star Sylvester Stallone made a name for himself in Hollywood with the famous “Rocky” franchise, but what many didn’t know was that one of his films nearly cost him his life.
In a recent interview with the Daily Mail (via We Got This Covered), the veteran revealed he suffered a near-death experience while recording “Rocky IV”.
The incident took place while he was filming the final fight scene with actor Dolph Lundgren, who plays Ivan Drago in the film.
After his co-star hit him in the heart, he claimed he ended up with serious side effects, including swelling of the heart. The injury became so severe that the doctors themselves feared for his life, as Stallone recalls:
“In the first round, when he knocked me out, it was real. It pulverized me and I didn’t feel it at the time, but later that night my heart started to swell. He had injured the pericardium-sac, that is, when your heart beats in your chest – like in a car accident when your chest hits the steering wheel. My blood pressure went up to 260. They thought I was dying.
In ‘Rocky IV’, Apollo (Carl Weathers) dies in a fight with Drago (Dolph Lundgren), an invincible Russian fighter. So Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) decides to travel to the Soviet Union to face him and avenge his friend.
Enjoy watching:
It should be remembered that Stallone is returning to the big screen soon, in ‘The Expendables 4’. The upcoming project will not focus on the character of the actor, Barney Ross, who this time will support him.
The story will focus on Lee Christmas, the character of Jason Statham, who will experience an adventure alongside the character of Megan Fox, who will be the female protagonist.
In addition to the return of Sylvester Stallone, the cast will have Dolph Lundgren as top scorer and Randy Couture as Toll.
‘The Expendables 4’ also features a host of new cast: Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent and Tony Jaa.
Scott Waugh (“Power and the Impossible”) will direct, based on a screenplay written by Spenser Cohen and edited by Max Adams and John Joseph Connolly.
Lionsgate and Millennium Media will produce the sequel.
“We are delighted to team up with our Millennium Media partners for the new sequel to the ‘The Expendables’ franchise,” said Jason Constantine, President of Lionsgate. “It’s so much fun bringing these stars together for an action packed movie. The new sequel will be our biggest adventure yet.