Film poster Sylvester Stallone "Rocky III" 1982 France

Rocky III is a 1982 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film is the sequel to Rocky II (1979) and the third installment in the Rocky film series. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) faces tough competition from Clubber Lang (Mr. T), a powerful new challenger, and turns to his former rival Apollo Creed (Weathers) for training assistance.

The development of the film began shortly after the release of its predecessor. Stallone embarked on a strict diet and training regimen in preparation for Rocky III. Although the original cast was quickly secured, casting for Lang proved challenging, with real-life boxers Joe Frazier and Earnie Shavers linked to the project at various points. Mr. T was hired in 1981 after appearing in 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.