'Creed' - 2015 Michael B Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Phylicia Rashad & Tessa Thompson.

Parrallels between the series and Stallone's personal journey are as follows:

Rocky - Rocky is a broke blue collar philadelphia nobody. A born fighter who is just hungry and itching for a real opportunity to get a chance to reach and even exceed his potential as a contender.

Sly is a broke blue collar philadelphia nobody. A born entertainer who is just hungry and itching for a real opportunity to get a chance to reach or even exceed his potential.

Rocky II - Rocky gets a lil money and has some nationwide notoriety and starts feeling himself a bit. Buying tiger jackets and getting cars that he can't even drive. Has to prove that he is not a fluke. Becomes top dude in his industry. He also becomes a father.

Sly had gotten money and fame from Rocky. He starts feeling himself a bit. Getting cosmetic surgery and since he made a profitable movie right after Rocky (F.I.S.T.) having the juice to get a vanity project going (Paradise Alley).

Paradise Alley flops. Rocky II director drops out. Sly is now tasked with following his flopping directorial debut as the star, writer and new director of the follow up to the best picture winner from a couple of years before. All this while also proving that his post-Rocky success was not a fluke. Goes on to become top dude in his industry. He also had become a father just a few months before the original Rocky's release.

Rocky III - Rocky is now Hollywood. He's been living up to his end defending his championship but gone is the hunger that was once there. Now you have the vanity of owning ferrari cars and training in over elaborate disco backed gyms being his priority. He's comfortable.

Sly is now Hollywood. He's been living up to his end supporting profitable box office hits (Nighthhawks and Victory). Vanity and ego have become his priority. Like Sly wrote Mickey to say: he "got civilized". That's the real Stallone speaking to his present self from that era.

Rocky IV - Rocky is the champ again. On top of his game. No longer getting "carried" because he overcame his second greatest challenger even after his one loss during his first fight with Lang. His ego is at full tilt here. He's buying robots for Paulie, looking like a million bucks, being a patriotic superman and still driving a ferrari.

Sly is now on top of his game. With the exception of one loss (the flop Rhinestone) every movie he released after Rocky III was a box office hit even Staying Alive. Most especially the one that came while he was writing Rocky IV (Rambo: First Blood pt. II).

Then Rocky IV comes out and not only becomes the second biggest box office hit of that year (behind Rambo) but also the highest grossing sports movie of the following 24 years. Sly had become undoubtedly the biggest star in the world. Ego definitely at full tilt.

Rocky V - Rocky goes through an existential crisis. He can no longer do what he loves best, he feels inadequate and his relationship with his son is rocky (no pun). He rolls with the punches and tries to find himself again and tap into his roots while still redefining his outlook going forward. Diversifying.

Sly has been going through an existential crisis since writing and directing Rocky IV. He had two huge box office hits (Cobra, Rambo III) sandwiched between two box office flops where he tried to return to his sports drama (Over the Top) and action drama (Lock Up) roots respectively.

Following that with a movie that made good money on paper but still was considered a box office disappointment cause of it's huge budget and massive 80's star power (Tango & Cash). Lots of attempts at creatively diversifying during this period.

His ego is bruised and he starts feeling inadequate. His rocky relationship with his son is now making it's way into his art (Over the Top, Rocky V) as he tries to come to terms with it.

Rocky V flops at the box office. Only film in the franchise to ever do so. Stallone doesn't have another hit till 1993's Cliffhanger.

Rocky Balboa (feeling he still has something in him, proving doubters and naysayers wrong) and Creed (sharing wisdom & collaborating with new blood) are pretty self explanatory. However clearly Rocky Balboa has always been Sylvester Stallone's avatar. His way to pour his soul and share his life lessons with the rest of the world. That's probably a big reason why he got a standing ovation when he won the Golden Globe last night.