Return Of The Drago

Still ripped at 60, action star DOLPH LUNDGREN is set to reprise his iconic role in Creed II this month, then rule the sea in Aquaman next month. Are you ready for the Lundgrenaissance?

- Jim Schmaltz

TO PARAPHRASE THE LATE great Rick James, nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Reboots and remakes from the 1980s and ’90s are everywhere, popping up on major TV networks and streaming channels with increased frequency. Pop culture icons who had their 15 minutes of fame decades ago are back for an extra five. Some of these revivals are more welcome than others. Roseanne, Fuller House, Dynasty, and Charmed are just a few that have come, gone, or are on their way. And new movie versions of The Crow, Escape From New York, and other big films from decades past are in the works. They’re even bringing Alf back.

Perhaps the most intriguing encore from the ’80s is hitting theaters on Nov. 21. That’s when Ivan Drago, the menacing Russian villain from Rocky IV, makes his return in Creed II. Dolph Lundgren, who was an unknown Swedish martial artist and actor when Sylvester Stallone chose him to play Rocky Balboa’s antagonist, will once again bring Drago to life.

A sequel to Creed, the critically acclaimed 2015 release, Creed II gives us an Ivan Drago we never could have anticipated. In Rocky IV, the Russian fighter was more machine than man, a robotic warrior trained from birth to be a symbol of Soviet domination. Drago killed Apollo Creed in the ring before Balboa exacted revenge and humiliated the Russian super fighter in the film’s climactic bout.