Half a decade after his last fight took him to Moscow to settle a personal vendetta, Apollo Creed’s long-lost son is set to get back in the ring to face what promises to be his most formidable opponent to date in Creed III. From Fast X to Dune: Part Two to John Wick: Chapter 4 to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, there are a ton of exciting sequels arriving in multiplexes this year. But, while fans are wary of a couple of these sequels due to their franchises’ hit-and-miss history, the flawless track record of the Creed series means there’s a good chance that Creed III will be an awesome movie. Here’s everything fans need to know before watching the Creed threequel.
What Happened In Creed?
Ryan Coogler’s first Creed movie gave the title character a captivating debut with a fresh take on the underdog sports movie formula. The spin-off began with Adonis “Donnie” Johnson, the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed, quitting his job at a securities firm to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue his dream of boxing professionally – much to the chagrin of his mother. In anticipation of his first big fight, Donnie was trained by the legendary Rocky Balboa, his father’s rival-turned-friend. Rocky had since retired from boxing and opened a restaurant named in his late wife Adrian’s honor. Along the way, Donnie fell for Bianca Taylor, a singer-songwriter with a hearing impairment, this generation’s answer to Adrian.
In the final act, Donnie fought “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, an arrogant British boxer played by real-life fighter Tony Bellew. During the climactic match, Donnie knocked Conlan down for the first time in his career and managed to go the distance. Conlan won the fight on a split decision, but Donnie won over the crowd (and earned Conlan’s respect). Max Kellerman declared, “Ricky Conlan won the fight, but Adonis Creed won the night.”
What Happened In Creed 2?
In the first sequel to Creed, Steven Caple, Jr.’s Creed II, Donnie went up against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago, the Soviet boxer who killed Donnie’s father Apollo in the ring in Rocky IV. When the movie was first announced, “Apollo Creed’s son vs. Ivan Drago’s son” seemed like a gimmicky legacy sequel premise. But it ended up working beautifully because the film approached the conflict earnestly. Creed II empathized with the Dragos’ side as much as the Creeds’ side. Donnie and Rocky were left to mourn the loss of Apollo after Ivan killed him, but Ivan was seen as a failure in the eyes of his fellow countrymen and the Drago name was disgraced after he lost to Rocky.
This time around, Donnie won the climactic fight. Ivan threw in the towel to forfeit the match, then comforted his distraught son to let him know there’s no shame in losing. Creed II ended with Donnie visiting his father’s grave and making peace with the pressures of carrying his legacy and living up to his iconic name.
What Is Creed 3 About?
Around the time Creed II was released, various outlets suggested that heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder could play the son of Clubber Lang in Creed III. Although Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone both expressed interest in the idea (according to TMZ and CBS Sports), the threequel won’t feature Wilder as Lang’s son. Instead of borrowing the formula from its predecessor, Creed III is telling a brand-new story. Following on from the events of Creed II, Creed III begins with everything going well for Donnie. His boxing career is thriving and his family life is happier than ever. And then, his childhood best friend Damian “Dame” Anderson – who also happens to be a formidable fighter – is released after a long prison sentence and determined to prove himself in the ring.
Based on the trailer, it seems as though Dame blames Donnie for his stint in jail, so he’s planning to claim his title and steal the life Donnie built for himself while he was stuck behind bars. Dame has nothing to lose and Donnie has everything to lose. Creed III is poised to be Donnie’s most high-stakes, emotionally charged conflict to date.
Who Is In Creed 3?
A few key cast members are returning for Creed III. It wouldn’t be a Creed movie without Michael B. Jordan reprising his role as Donnie, and Jordan is making his directorial debut with this one. The threequel will also see the return of Tessa Thompson as Donnie’s love interest, Bianca; Wood Harris as Donnie’s trainer “Little Duke” (the son of Rocky and Apollo’s trainer, Duke); and Phylicia Rashad as Donnie’s adoptive mother, Mary Anne. Jonathan Majors has been cast as Donnie’s former childhood friend and latest opponent, Dame. Flashback sequences will feature Alex Henderson as a young Donnie and Spence Moore II as a young Dame.
Tony Bellew and Florian Munteanu are set to reprise their roles as the villains from the last two movies. Canelo Álvarez, Mila Davis-Kent, Selenis Leyva, and Thaddeus J. Mixson have been cast in undisclosed roles. Creed III will be the first film in the franchise not to feature Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, although Stallone is still producing the movie through his Balboa Productions banner.
When Is Creed 3 Coming Out?
Creed III is just a couple of short months away. Although it was originally scheduled for November 23, 2022, the threequel was postponed to March 3, 2023. It will have to compete with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (in which Majors appears as the MCU’s next big bad, Kang the Conqueror), Cocaine Bear, Scream VI, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and 65, which are all releasing in the same window. Creed III should have no problem standing out from the crowd. It might not have dinosaurs or battling superheroes or a coke-addled 500-pound black bear, but it is promising explosive emotions and compelling character development.