BELGRADE, Serbia -- A Serbian village worn out by floods and misfortune has decided it's time to fight back.

Officials in the village of Zitiste are planning to erect a huge statue of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa film character in the village square to attract tourists and show a new face to the world.

The village, about 36 miles north of Belgrade, has repeatedly suffered heavy flooding and landslides in recent years, gaining a disaster-prone reputation.

The locals started contemplating how to change that image and revive the village, which is one of the poorest in northern Serbia.