Credit: Creed III
The long-awaited Creed sequel is almost here. This time, Michael B. Jordan is not only returning as Adonis Creed, but the actor is stepping behind the camera, with Creed III being his directorial debut. This time, Adonis has overcome his biggest rival, but the fighter is now stepping into the role of being a father.
In navigating two worlds, he stumbles upon Damian, a friend who spent most of his life in prison. Damian also has dreams of becoming a fighting sensation, and he promises to come after everything Adonis has, with the two men ultimately going head-to-head inside of the ring. The cast also includes Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad, and Wood Harris. Sylvester Stallone will not return for the latest sequel. The film is scheduled to come out on March 3, 2023.
The Creed franchise was a surprise success when the first film came out in 2015. It explored the origins of Apollo Creed’s son and the bond between him and Rocky. The feature garnered excellent reviews from critics and audiences, and it was also a smash hit. Creed ultimately made $173.6 million worldwide, and it got Stallone an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Creed II, which brought back Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, made even more money by collecting a healthy $214.1 million worldwide.
The trailer looks very promising, though it should be interesting to see how Jordan does on the director’s side. He certainly won’t be the first actor to step behind the camera, with the most notable ones being Denzel Washington, Jordan Peele, Ben Affleck, Clint Eastwood, and Mel Gibson; however, given how Jordan practically grew up in the film industry – his first credited role was a one-off appearance in HBO’s The Sopranos at the age of 12 – then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he turns out to be another great actor/director. Jordan explained in an interview why he decided to step into the director’s chair this time:
“It’s the only character that I’m coming back to play three times. It’s a world that I know. I know the process to shoot these movies. I know the character. And I have a clear vision of where I want the world to go. Everything kind of panned out for me to step behind the camera on this one, so I’m running towards it. And definitely a lot of knowledge and a lot of gems of wisdom and tips from everybody-from most recently Denzel [Washington], to Ryan, to David O’ Russell, Ben Affleck, Stefano. I’ve been slowly learning. I’m a sponge, so I’m always learning from project to project, and it’s all been slowly preparing me for this moment.”
Credit: Creed III
Obviously, we’ll see the final result in early 2023, but all signs point to the third installment being just as thrilling as the first two. Though Stallone won’t be in the latest chapter of the series, the Oscar nominee has stated in the past that the journey for Rocky Balboa is far from over. Originally, Stallone stated that he was done playing the role of Rocky Balboa but changed his tune and teased doing another solo film back in 2019. However, there seem to be some complications, as Stallone voiced his frustration over not having the rights to both the Rocky and Creed franchises earlier this year.
Credit: Creed III
There hasn’t been much detail on the project since then, though Stallone remains adamant that he’ll play Rocky Balboa in another feature. It should be interesting to see if Rocky shows up in Creed 4 if the studio decides to greenlight another film. A Rocky vs. Adonis Creed storyline has plenty of potential if they opt to go in that direction.
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