I was searching the internet for the Rocky Balboa script and I came along the first draft of the screenplay. I read, it, and it was pretty much the same thing as the movie, however, the ending was very different. All I can say is that without the ending from the first draft, the movie is a classic (which is what we all saw in theaters), but with the written -- but excluded -- ending that is found only in the first draft of the screenplay, the movie would have been a masterpiece and the perfect way to end the Rocky franchise, yet still leave it open for future installments. I thought the writing was solid, and the twist was rather well done. So, without further ado, I give you the ending to Rocky Balboa, as it was written in the screenplay, but never shot.
EXT. CEMETERY - DAY
Rocky approaches Adrian?s tombstone,
kneeling down placing the bouquet of
flowers on top of it while giving the
top of the tombstone a gentle kiss.
Rocky looks on in admiration and can?t
help but smile.
ROCKY
Yo, Adrian, we did it.
Rocky kisses the tombstone once more,
taps it and walks away.
CUT TO:
INT. VAN (PARKED) - DAY
Rocky inserts the key into the ignition
but stops as he feels something sharp
nudge him in the back.
Rocky?s eyes go wide as he realizes
that someone is in the van with him.
ROCKY
Who are you?
MAN (O.S.)
You already know who I am.
ROCKY
(reflecting)
Steps?
MAN/STEPS (O.S.)
Nice to see you finally
remember.
ROCKY
Steps... put that knife away.
This isn?t the way. I told you...
you don?t have to go that route.
You don?t have to be what the
streets want you to be.
STEPS
Shut up, man! I?m in control of
the situation here!
ROCKY
Uh-uh, you ain?t in control of
any situation, Steps. You?re out
of control.
(beat)
You know, Steps, I thought you
and I were getting real close,
you know, like this...
(Rocky hits both fists
together)
... Steps, I tried my hardest to
give you and your mom a better
life. She loves you and only wants
what?s best for you.
(beat)
You have a bright future. I?ve seen
you punching the bag at the gym the
other day.. you got major potential.
You want a way off the streets? You
want a better life? You want a bigger
and better house for your mom? Then
let me train you. A kid like you
needs something positive to hold
on to. When I was your age, I had
boxing to keep me off the streets...
Rocky feels the knife presses against his
back ease up. Rocky slowly turns around
and looks Steps straight in the eye.
ROCKY (CONT?D)
... Steps... let me train you. Let
me be your guide. Let me help you
get a better life.
(beat)
Now, I know I ain?t your father,
and I ain?t trying to be, but you
have to listen to me when I say
this: You are a good kid.
STEPS
Of course, I?m a good kid. I
learned from my father.
ROCKY
You?re father sounds like a
good man. Too bad he left.
STEPS
(smiles)
Oh, he didn?t leave. He?s right here.
ROCKY
What?!
STEPS
Rocky... You?re my father.
ROCKY
(eyes well up with tears)
What?!
STEPS
Remember, back before I was born,
you met my mom when she was 18 and
offered to walk her home. Right?
ROCKY
Right.
STEPS
Well....
ROCKY
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember
it now! She then said, screw you
Creepo. At first I thought it was
an insult, but then she repeated
the phrase once more and I realized
that she was serious. She wanted to
screw me. So I did it! YO!
STEPS
And nine months later, here I came.
ROCKY
Yo! Steps?
STEPS
Rock... Dad?
ROCKY
I love you!
STEPS
I love you too dad.
Rocky and Steps hug.
CUT TO:
EXT. VAN - DAY
The van starts and drives off into the
horizon.
CUT TO:
EXT. CEMETERY - DAY
We see Robert standing by Adrian?s grave
using binoculars to watch as his father
and Steps drive off.
We then see the GHOST OF ADRIAN give a
gentle kiss to Robert on the cheek.
ADRIAN
It?s okay, honey. I?m sure
your father loves you.
ROBERT
The only kind of love that I
want...
(Robert cracks his knuckles)
... is the unconditional kind.
ADRIAN
That?s my boy! Go after him and
eliminate Steps and Marie from our
lives.
ROBERT
Whatever you say, dear, dear,
Mother.
(Robert kisses his clenched
fists)
And this time... it?s personal.
We then see Robert?s angry face in a
FREEZE FRAME.
Robert?s face then morphs into a multi-
colored abstract painting by LeRoy Neiman
-- kinda like the final shot of Rocky and
Apollo in Rocky III.
We then hear EYE OF THE TIGER, as we....
FADE OUT:
EXT. CEMETERY - DAY
Rocky approaches Adrian?s tombstone,
kneeling down placing the bouquet of
flowers on top of it while giving the
top of the tombstone a gentle kiss.
Rocky looks on in admiration and can?t
help but smile.
ROCKY
Yo, Adrian, we did it.
Rocky kisses the tombstone once more,
taps it and walks away.
CUT TO:
INT. VAN (PARKED) - DAY
Rocky inserts the key into the ignition
but stops as he feels something sharp
nudge him in the back.
Rocky?s eyes go wide as he realizes
that someone is in the van with him.
ROCKY
Who are you?
MAN (O.S.)
You already know who I am.
ROCKY
(reflecting)
Steps?
MAN/STEPS (O.S.)
Nice to see you finally
remember.
ROCKY
Steps... put that knife away.
This isn?t the way. I told you...
you don?t have to go that route.
You don?t have to be what the
streets want you to be.
STEPS
Shut up, man! I?m in control of
the situation here!
ROCKY
Uh-uh, you ain?t in control of
any situation, Steps. You?re out
of control.
(beat)
You know, Steps, I thought you
and I were getting real close,
you know, like this...
(Rocky hits both fists
together)
... Steps, I tried my hardest to
give you and your mom a better
life. She loves you and only wants
what?s best for you.
(beat)
You have a bright future. I?ve seen
you punching the bag at the gym the
other day.. you got major potential.
You want a way off the streets? You
want a better life? You want a bigger
and better house for your mom? Then
let me train you. A kid like you
needs something positive to hold
on to. When I was your age, I had
boxing to keep me off the streets...
Rocky feels the knife presses against his
back ease up. Rocky slowly turns around
and looks Steps straight in the eye.
ROCKY (CONT?D)
... Steps... let me train you. Let
me be your guide. Let me help you
get a better life.
(beat)
Now, I know I ain?t your father,
and I ain?t trying to be, but you
have to listen to me when I say
this: You are a good kid.
STEPS
Of course, I?m a good kid. I
learned from my father.
ROCKY
You?re father sounds like a
good man. Too bad he left.
STEPS
(smiles)
Oh, he didn?t leave. He?s right here.
ROCKY
What?!
STEPS
Rocky... You?re my father.
ROCKY
(eyes well up with tears)
What?!
STEPS
Remember, back before I was born,
you met my mom when she was 18 and
offered to walk her home. Right?
ROCKY
Right.
STEPS
Well....
ROCKY
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember
it now! She then said, screw you
Creepo. At first I thought it was
an insult, but then she repeated
the phrase once more and I realized
that she was serious. She wanted to
screw me. So I did it! YO!
STEPS
And nine months later, here I came.
ROCKY
Yo! Steps?
STEPS
Rock... Dad?
ROCKY
I love you!
STEPS
I love you too dad.
Rocky and Steps hug.
CUT TO:
EXT. VAN - DAY
The van starts and drives off into the
horizon.
CUT TO:
EXT. CEMETERY - DAY
We see Robert standing by Adrian?s grave
using binoculars to watch as his father
and Steps drive off.
We then see the GHOST OF ADRIAN give a
gentle kiss to Robert on the cheek.
ADRIAN
It?s okay, honey. I?m sure
your father loves you.
ROBERT
The only kind of love that I
want...
(Robert cracks his knuckles)
... is the unconditional kind.
ADRIAN
That?s my boy! Go after him and
eliminate Steps and Marie from our
lives.
ROBERT
Whatever you say, dear, dear,
Mother.
(Robert kisses his clenched
fists)
And this time... it?s personal.
We then see Robert?s angry face in a
FREEZE FRAME.
Robert?s face then morphs into a multi-
colored abstract painting by LeRoy Neiman
-- kinda like the final shot of Rocky and
Apollo in Rocky III.
We then hear EYE OF THE TIGER, as we....
FADE OUT:
ICQ#: 496465326
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