AceShowbiz - The success of Rocky II in 1979 played a significant role in the production of Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull in 1980. Sylvester Stallone's Rocky franchise had proven that boxing-themed movies could be successful, and this paved the way for other films in the genre to be greenlit. However, Raging Bull, which tells the story of Jake LaMotta, was not an easy sell due to its controversial subject matter.

The life of Jake LaMotta was far from the redemption story of Rocky Balboa, and this made it difficult for United Artists to greenlight the project. Martin Scorsese was also not interested in directing a sports film, having primarily focused on gritty urban dramas. However, Robert De Niro, who was set to star in the film, was instrumental in convincing Scorsese to take on the project. During the production of Taxi Driver, De Niro had been reading Jake LaMotta's memoir, Raging Bull: My Story, and believed that Scorsese had the skill to bring the story to life.

Martin Scorsese was going through a tough time in his life when Robert De Niro approached him with the idea of directing Raging Bull. Scorsese was struggling with a cocaine addiction, which had taken a toll on his health. In fact, he was hospitalized after a near-fatal overdose at the age of 35. It was during this time that De Niro visited him and tried to convince him to take on the project. As De Niro stated in a recent docuseries, "What the hell do you want to do? Do you want to die like this, or do you want to do something?"

The rest, as they say, is history. Raging Bull went on to become a critical and commercial success, earning a certified fresh 92% Rotten Tomatoes score and cementing its place as one of the greatest films of all time. The success of Raging Bull can be attributed, in part, to the success of Rocky II, which had proven that boxing-themed movies could be successful. The film's success also marked a turning point in Martin Scorsese's career, as he went on to direct some of his most iconic films, including Goodfellas and Casino.