Back for more! Following two successful Creed films, based on the Rocky movies, a third iteration was officially announced in March 2021 after much speculation.
“Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right,” the franchise’s leading man, Michael B. Jordan, explained via a statement about the upcoming picture. “Creed III is that moment — a time in my life where I’ve grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally and learning from the greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top tier directors I respect. All of which sets the table for this moment.”
He continued, “This franchise and in particular the themes of Creed III are deeply personal to me. I look forward to sharing the next chapter of Adonis Creed’s story with the awesome responsibility of being its director and namesake.”
Few details about the anticipated boxing film have been revealed, save for a few key teases from the Journal for Jordan star about his creative vision.
“I’ve been acting for over 20 years, and over time your taste buds start to evolve and develop and you want to tell stories yourself,” the California native told Yahoo Entertainment in April 2021 about crafting the next chapter. “Creed is the first character I’m coming back to play three times. I’ve been daydreaming about the opportunity and had a clear vision of where I want this character to go moving forward. I’m looking forward to sharing the story with everybody.”
The first Creed sequel, which debuted in November 2015, saw Sylvester Stallone’s now-retired Rocky Balboa take on the role of coach as he trained former rival Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis (Jordan). Amid the Parenthood alum’s starring role in the seventh Rocky franchise film, he couldn’t but gush over working with the legendary action star.
“Sly is savvy! He actually gave me some style tips,” Jordan exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2015. “I’m a man who loves wearing suits, but he has more suits than I do. I remember one time he came in just completely overdressed. He just completely blew me out of the water. I was like, ‘This is never happening again!’ And he was like, ‘You always need to come prepared.’ So from then on, whenever I’m at an event with him, I’m coming correct!”
Jordan also teased that Stallone taught him how to “throw punches,” joking that the “old dog’s still got a little bite to him!”
In the film, Jordan acted opposite Tessa Thompson, who played Adonis’ love interest and aspiring singer, Bianca Taylor.
“Tessa is amazing,” Jordan recalled of the Thor: Ragnarok star at the time. “She’s such a giving actress, and she’s collaborative. We definitely had a lot of chemistry, so she made it easy to go back and forth and find the creative moments between these two characters.
Thompson has since reprised her role in the second Creed flick and confirmed her involvement in the forthcoming sequel.
“We’re going to make another Creed very soon,” the Sylvie’s Love star told MTV News in December 2020 while gushing about her onscreen love interest. “I’m proud of him. I’m so happy for him.”
Scroll below to learn more about the anticipated sequel:
While few details about the full casting have been announced, it has been confirmed that Jordan and Thompson will reprise their roles as Adonis and Bianca, respectively. Phylicia Rashad is also set to return to her role as Mary Anne Creed. Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock
Following Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler tenure as the director for the first two flicks, the Friday Night Lights alum has signed onto direct his first feature-length production. “Michael’s vision for Creed III is incredibly exciting and will undoubtedly be an important contribution to the cannon of this storied franchise,” MGM executives Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy teased about the project via a statement to Deadline in March 2021. “We are thrilled to bring his directorial debut, and share this next chapter in the Creed story, to theaters next year.” Shutterstock
“I have seen the script,” the Passing actress revealed during a November 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight. “[Jordan’s] been in the development process for a while.” B Wetcher/MGM/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
Amid the news that the up-and-coming boxer’s journey would play out in a third film, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed in April that Stallone would not return alongside his former costars. Jordan, for his part, told Yahoo Entertainment in April 2021: “Rocky will live on and do other things, and I'm sure Creed fans are going to support Rocky as much as possible and hopefully vice versa as well.” Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros/Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock
“I feel like this is the Creed franchise," Jordan revealed to Yahoo Entertainment. "We really want fans to be interested in Adonis and what that story has to say. There's going to be so many Rocky-isms that are forever going to stay with Adonis as he moves forward. So as far as page space, or whether or not Rocky comes back for this one, this is the Creed franchise moving forward.” MGM/Moviestore/Shutterstock
The picture is currently scheduled for a November 23, 2022, theatrical debut. B Wetcher/MGM/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
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