Rocky III

Rocky III is a 1982 American sports drama film written and directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film is the sequel to Rocky II (1979) and the third installment in the Rocky franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers and Burgess Meredith. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) faces stiff competition from Clubber Lang (Mr. T), a powerful new contender, and turns to his old adversary Apollo Creed (Weathers) to help him train.

Development of a third Rocky film began soon after the release of Rocky II. Stallone began a strict diet and workout regimen in preparation. Despite the returns of the original cast being secured quickly, casting for Lang proved difficult, with real boxers Joe Frazier and Ernie Shavers attached to the project at various points. Mr. T was hired in 1981 after appearing on the television series Games People Play, and the film is considered his breakthrough role. Rocky III is the first film in the franchise not solely distributed by United Artists, due to the company's merger with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1981.