Sylvester Stallonewill not be reprising his role as Rocky Balboa inCreed III. The film franchise star and creator played the character in all sixRockymovies and reprised the role as a mentor and manager to Adonis Creed in the moviesCreedandCreed II.Michael B. Jordan, who stars in the franchise as Adonis Creed (the son of Apollo Creed, Rocky’s former rival), will be making his directorial debut withCreed III.
During an interview withHOT 97, Michael B. Jordan discussed the absence of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky in the film. He acknowledged that the underdog spirit of the franchise, which connects with the audience, is largely due to the characters of Rocky and Apollo. However, he explained that for the third movie, they want to focus on Adonis Creed’s journey to stand on his own two feet and move forward with his family. Jordan also spoke about the origins ofCreed III’s story, citing that he wanted to explore Adonis' past and childhood traumas that have shaped him into the character he is today.
“First of all, Sly and Rocky’s DNA is through this entire franchise. you’re able to’t have these movies [without that],” Jordan said. “That underdog spirit, I think, connects the underdog in all of us. I think what we love about these movies so much is that we see somebody that’s going through hardships, that’s able to rise from the ashes and reach the mountaintop, and we connect with that. For us, we connect with characters that can do the same, and that’s what we want to do with Adonis Creed.”
“I want Adonis to stand on his own two feet. In order to do that, we had to go into the past. What were those transformative years, those childhood traumas that shaped [Adonis] today? I think the room for this story was really about Adonis Creed moving forward with his family, and having him move forward. That’s kind of how we rolled out the story for this one.” Jordan added.
While Stallone will not be appearing in the film, the cast will include a mix of returning and new faces. Alongside Jordan, Tessa Thompson will reprise her role as Adonis' love interest and mother of his child. Phylicia Rashad will also return as Mary Anne Creed, Apollo’s widow and Adonis' stepmother.
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Michael B. Jordan Plans to Expand the Creed Franchise
Michael B. Jordan is excited tocreate a cinematic universe around the franchisefollowing the release ofCreed III. In an interview with Deadline, the actor confirmed that he is looking to expand the Creed universe by crafting a franchise that will include additional sequels and spinoffs.
“Building the Creed universe is something that I’m really excited about.”
While the details of Jordan’s plans for the Creed universe are currently unknown, it has been revealed that a Drago spinoff is in development. The spinoff will focus on Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago, who was the antagonist inRocky IVand returned to the franchise inCreed II.The spinoff is set to be written by Robert Lawton.
Creed IIIpicks up five years after the events ofCreed II, where Adonis “Donnie” Creed has been dominating the boxing world and living a fulfilling family life. However, his world is turned upside down when his childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian “Dame” Anderson, played by Jonathan Majors, resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison. Damian is determined to prove himself in the ring and wants to challenge Donnie to a fight. The face-off between these former friends is more than just a fight, as it represents a deep-seated rivalry that goes beyond the boxing ring. Donnie must put his future on the line to settle the score with Damian, who is a fighter with nothing to lose, making the fight even more dangerous for Donnie.
