Michael B. Jordan, who is set to star in and direct MGM's Creed 3, explained why Sylvester Stallone isn't returning to play Rocky Balboa in the upcoming sequel. Earlier this month, Stallone shocked Rocky fans when he revealed that he wasn't reprising the iconic character in Creed 3.
Stallone first played Balboa in 1976’s Rocky and directed four subsequent Rocky sequels (Rocky III, Rocky IV, and Rocky Balboa). The iconic actor-director co-wrote 2015’s Creed with Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) and Aaron Covington. The film served as a sequel/spin-off to the Rocky franchise and starred Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, Tess Thompson as Bianca, and Tony Bellew a Ricky Conlan. Stallone played Rocky Balboa for the seventh time and was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
Due to the success of Creed, a sequel was released in 2018. Creed 2 received positive reviews from critics and grossed $214 million worldwide on a $35 million budget. The film was directed by Steven Caple Jr. and saw Creed fight Ivan Drago’s son in the ring. The sports drama concluded with Creed winning the fight and Balboa making peace with his estranged son.
This March, MGM announced that Jordan would make his directorial debut with Creed 3. Keenan Coogler (Space Jam: A New Legacy) and Zach Baylin (King Richard) were tapped to pen the script. Jordan will produce the film alongside Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Jonathan Glickman, and Ryan Coogler. The television and movie star said in a statement that directing had always been a goal of his, and the timing couldn’t be more right to take on his first project.
Thompson and Jordan are set to reprise their roles from the first two Creed films, while Stallone confirmed that he will not appear in Creed 3, as previously mentioned. During a recent interview with IGN, Jordan said Sly’s “spirit and essence” will be felt in the film and he has enormous love for what he’s built. Ultimately, it’s a Creed franchise and Jordan wants to focus on Adonis’ character arc. “Yeah, I think that Sly let it be known that he wasn’t coming back for this one but I think, you know, his essence and his spirit… there’s always going to be a little bit of Rocky within Adonis,” said Jordan. “But this is a Creed franchise, and we really want to build this story and this world around him moving forward. We really want to push and navigate Adonis forward and the family that he created.”
While Stallone hasn’t specifically stated why he isn’t returning for the third Creed, he recently announced that his new cut of Rocky IV is complete. The director’s cut will reportedly feature extra footage of Apollo and Drago’s iconic fight. The 74-year-old action star is currently writing a pitch for a Rocky prequel series and will next be seen as King Shark in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
Creed 3 is scheduled to be released in theatres on November 23, 2022.
Source: IGN