Details are currently extremely sketchy because the project has yet to get the green light from studio executives, but the idea is to avoid the big-budget style of Hollywood sequels and return to the small, independent film feel of the original.

"It's true that I've written a story for Rocky VI," Stallone says. "This one will hopefully bring forward Rocky's more spiritual side. I really love this character, he's a part of me and I'm longing to bring him back. There are guys my age who still box, after all."

Sly also says that he’s standing by to take on the rigors of getting back into shape – Rocky style. "It's brutal, very tough, but I'll do what is necessary to make it real," he says.

More immediate for Stallone is NBC's reality show "The Contender," where 16 aspiring boxers are put through training camp with the goal of becoming a true champion. Stallone represents the "fictional" side of the sport, and Olympic gold medallist Sugar Ray Leonard will be on hand for the "reality" side. DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg (who executive produces "The Contender" along with reality show king Mark Burnett) asserts that something that Stallone said about "Rocky" became the project's mantra.

"From the time we got into business with him, he has said to us, 'Rocky is Adrian's story, and don't ever forget it. It is seen through her. It's where the heart and it's where the emotion is.'"

Sylvester Stallone admits he originally turned down the idea of starring in a new installment in the Rocky series because the only thing he thought he could fight with was arthritis. Stallone, 58, who wrote and starred in the original Rocky, and was Oscar-nominated for both, admits he was reluctant to make a new version of the film because he considered himself too old. Stallone says, "They asked me to make a new Rocky and I was like, 'Well, who would I be fighting - arthritis, a slipped disc?'" But after legendary boxer George Foreman made an astonishing comeback at 48, Stallone began to feel maybe there was a new storyline for the boxing story. Stallone adds, "When George Foreman came along I began thinking well here is a man who came back and was reborn. When he started fighting for the second time he was better than he was originally and so I could see that there might be a reason to shoot another Rocky."

In 2004, the MGM stumbling block grew even larger.  That May, Stallone sued Metro, claiming that they stymied his efforts to proceed with the VI project altogether. He’s set on regaining the rights to allow him to make the sequel. In June it was reported by a Hollywood columnist that "Sly wants to get both Rocky VI and Rambo IV out in the year 2006. These are the two projects he's most trying to get made right now and why not - they have made lots and lots and lots of money for all involved. Bill Conti is ready to record the big Rocky theme score one last time and the crew is ready to go. Stallone is strong-arming MGM with his lawsuit and they look like they will cave in and just make the movie. If they don't, Sly is going to make an example out of the studio with why not to stand in the way of his personal vision."

With MGM out of the picture, at least for a time, it seemed that DreamWorks was the next to step up to the plate. Rumors from DreamWorks, however, now indicate that the studio has not agreed to take on the VI project at all and is only working with Sly for "The Contender" series at this point.

This summer it was reported on ESPN that actor Vin Diesel was in talks to be cast as a possible villain in the new picture. Shortly thereafter, however, a Diesel confidant stated that "Vin loves the Rocky movies, especially the original, but he doesn't want to be just another meathead for Rocky to knock about. Vin wants to see there's a proper character to play toe-toe with Sly."

Mr. T has also been rumored to make a cameo appearance as Clubber Lang, however no further details have come to the fore. Actor Dolph Lundgren told B & K Sports Magazine in January, 2003 that Sylvester Stallone may be writing his character, Ivan Drago, into the film. "Sly's writing a new Rocky, the sixth one, and tells me he's going to try and write Ivan Drago in it. There's no way I'd miss out on an opportunity on sparring with Balboa again. In my opinion Rocky IV was one of the best Rocky sequels. Not the least - the better of my films. If we can get those two guys back in the ring again, we could have something special. And from what Sly tells me, it's going to be good. I look forward to doing it."

Most recently, however, Lundgren noted on his official website that: "I read about Rocky VI myself in an English newspaper, but I haven’t heard from Sly so I don’t think that’s going to happen."

It looks like MGM and Sly might come to an agreement instead of continuing to battle each other in court. Rocky fans can pin their hopes on Sly’s hits and misses in the next year or so. If "The Contender" is a hit, America may have renewed interest in the Italian Stallion; then the phenomenal new "Rocky: Legends" video game is set to hit stores in December; also that month, a new release of the DVD box-set of the entire series, titled "The Rocky Anthology" will be on sale in time for Christmas. It is believed that if these Rocky themed campaigns prove to be a series of successes, then Rocky VI may stay afloat.

As far as a Rocky VI plot is concerned, it would seem that the only plausible storyline would be to have Sage Stallone reprise his role as Rocky Jr., who would embark on a boxing career of his own, with Rocky Sr. as his manager/trainer. The projected storyline includes hints of Rocky getting back into the ring for a charity bout (which Stallone explains is inspired by events in the life of George Foreman). This premise, if accurate, shows promise of performing even more poorly at the box office than did Rocky V.

It is tantamount that audiences connect emotionally with this new story and that it have the freshness of the original Rocky – quite a task. To maintain the emotional hold, the Rocky saga must remain ‘within the family’, so to speak, with the story focusing on the Balboas and hopefully starring Sage Stallone. If, as fan gossip intimates, the plot does indeed involve Rocky Jr. and his plight as a rookie fighter, then audiences must root for him just as they did for his father nearly thirty years ago. If Sage (who was reportedly prepared to produce VI with Sly) is an unwilling participant in the acting arena, then a search must be mounted for a young actor who can capture the charm and heroism of vintage Stallone – we have to love him as much as we loved 1976 Rocky for this story to work. (Attention casting directors: Talia Shire is the proud mother of two handsome young actors – hint, hint).

This familial element was the missing key in Rocky V, despite the story centering on the father/son relationship. Viewers cared little for Rocky’s protégé Tommy Gunn upon introduction, and they hated him by the film’s conclusion. It may be an instance of walking on thin ice to repeat, in essence, the same notion from V and translate it to VI – that of Rocky training another young hopeful that he cares for, even if it is his own son this time.

A great number of fans have submitted inspired story ideas in discussions around the Web, some of which seem to have great promise. One fan even went so far as to write a script proposal that was sent to Rocky producers on a lark. It was returned unread. Yet this script definitely does have merit. It is unfortunate that executives don’t seem to be listening to the public on such a controversial topic as this.

"As long as people feel life is an uphill battle, it will never be over," Stallone said in a recent interview. "Rocky VI is about people who get to 50 and life says, 'Get out of the way, you're obsolete.' I say to life, 'Move me or go around. I'm not volunteering to step out.' As we get older, what we lack in skill, we can make up in will. And that is what we need to take into our later years."

The latest buzz with a more official ring to it hints that the storyline will remain on the Rocky V track: Balboa will remain down-and-out but can still eek out a living in his beloved profession. Now faced with more serious financial issues, however, he decides to get back into the ring to help fund a charity. He isn’t expected to perform well and fight fans express only marginal interest in seeing this spectacle because of Rocky’s age and the fact that he will have been out of the limelight for such a time. In steps a fight promoter, possibly George Washington Duke, who will offer Balboa a fair amount of money to participate – after all - ‘it’s for charity’.

"It's already been 10 years since Rocky V,'' says Stallone. ''What are you going to do, wait 20 years? It's now or never."

Now or never indeed.  Have your say in Rocky VI – participate in Total Rocky.com’s discussion forum – let us know whether you think Project VI will be a hit or miss, and don’t forget to send in your story ideas - just visit our contact page to drop us a line. It wouldn’t hurt to have a large collection of propositions from people who really care about Rocky assembled here just in case someone of note happens to run across it . . .