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July 29 (UPI) -- Drago, a spinoff of the Rocky and Creed film franchise, is in the works at MGM. Sex & Sushi and Crave scribe Robert Lawton is writing the screenplay for the origins story of Russian boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), the rival of titular hero (Sylvester Stallone) in the 1985 movie, Rocky IV.
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Drago's son, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), boxed Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of Rocky's late best friend Apollo, in 2018's Creed II.
No plot details about the new project have been disclosed to the public.
"I'm incredibly humbled and grateful for this opportunity, and I'm approaching it as an enormous fan of the Rocky franchise, who happens to be a screenwriter," Lawton said in a statement Thursday.
Jordan will again play Adonis in Creed III, due in theaters in 2023.
Earlier this month, Stallone attacked producer, Irwin Winkler, on Instagram for not giving up or sharing with him the rights to the eight-picture franchise Stallone created and starred in, starting in 1976.
Stallone, 76, posted a drawing of Winkler's head on the body of a snake.
Alongside it is the message: "A VERY Flattering portrait of The Great Rocky/ Creed Producer, IRWIN WINKLER, from one of the country's greatest artist ...
"ALSO after IRWIN controlling ROCKY for over 47 years , and now CREED, , I really would like have at least a little WHAT's LEFT of my RIGHTS back, before passing it on to ONLY YOUR CHILDREN - I believe That would be a FAIR gesture from this 93 year old gentleman?" Stallone added. "This is a painful subject That eats at my soul , because I wanted to leave something of Rocky for my children, but it's always great hearing from the loyal fans... Keep Punching."
Stallone was paid approximately $75,000 plus 10 net points of the box-office take for writing the screenplay for and acting in the first film, which turned out to be an Oscar-nominated blockbuster.
Stallone was paid millions more for the subsequent films, but Winkler retains the rights to the franchise.
