Sad news for hardcore Rocky fans: a representative for Sylvester Stallone has recently confirmed that the actor behind the iconic boxing champ will not be appearing in MGM's Creed 3. The series, which is a continuation of the original Rocky films, had featured Stallone's character coaching Adonis Creed, the son of his former rival, in preparation to forge his own legacy in the ring. Now, it seems as though Rocky's journey with Adonis Creed has come to an end, with no word on the exact reasons behind Stallone's absence for the third film.
Stallone's absence doesn't come as a complete surprise. Earlier in 2020, the actor had briefly mentioned that he may not appear in the 3rd Creed film, but his representative's comment to The Hollywood Reporter is the first official confirmation that he will indeed be skipping the film entirely. As of right now, it's unclear why he will not be joining Michael B. Jordan for the project, but there are a few possible reasons.
The most obvious is that Stallone is getting older, and at 74, may not be interested in playing starring roles in big-budget films, at least not to the level of investment required by something like Creed. While it's not going to be simple to handwave away the character's absence after being such an important part of the previous films, there are plenty of ways to refocus the narrative on Creed himself, while still giving a nod to Stallone's character.
Another possible explanation is that with Creed 3 marking Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut, the production may want to focus even more closely on his character. If that's the case, it could be difficult to work around having another legacy character getting too involved in the plot. Reducing Rocky's screen-time could've been an easy way to help give Adonis Creed himself more presence and focus, and that could have segued naturally to Stallone stepping away to focus on his own projects, confident that Jordan could carry the film.
Speaking of which, Stallone himself isn't exactly slacking off lately either: the actor is working on multiple projects, including a director's cut of Rocky IV and a Rocky prequel series he's been interested in pitching to studios. Perhaps those projects require more focus and attention, which is as good an explanation as any for why he won't be in Creed 3. At least fans will be able to catch him as King Shark in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
Regardless of whatever the real reason is, it is slightly disappointing for fans who hoped to see Rocky make another appearance on the big screen, but at least Stallone is still working on some Rocky-related projects either way. Hopefully, the upcoming Creed 3 will be a solid film regardless of Stallone's absence.
Creed 3 will release November 23rd, 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter