After Creed 3’s release date has been moved from November 23, 2022 to March 3, 2023, fans will have to wait a little longer to see Michael Jordan enter the ring again. MGM’s third Creed film, the ninth installment in the Rocky franchise, will compete against Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves in theaters.
In 2021, Jordan officially signed as director of the film, marking his directorial debut. He will reprise his role as Adonis Creed, together with Tessa Thompson as Bianca Taylor and Phylicia Rashad as Mary Anne Creed. Jonathan Majors will join the film as the antagonist Anderson Dame. The screenplay will be penned by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin, based on the story created by Ryan Coogler.
Creed 3 Won’t Have Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa
Creed 3 is going to be the first Rocky film without Sylvester Stallone, the franchise’s original creator. He played Rocky Balboa in eight of its installments, with the recent movies appearing as a supporting character. The plot for the third Creed film is still kept confidential, but reports say that Adonis will attempt to become a better father and face off against a new rival, Anderson Dame.
Ryan Coogler directed the first Creed movie, a spin-off to the Rocky film series, and revived the franchise after nine years. It became a commercial success which guaranteed a sequel later in 2018. Jordan announced, for the first time, that he will work behind the camera, calling it an “aspiration, but the timing had to be right.”
The franchise has come a long way since Stallone’s time, and letting others take the wheel was a choice that the actor had to make. After having seen Fruitvale Station (2013), Coogler’s debut film, Stallone was convinced to pass on the mantle. The veteran actor did not involve himself with the scriptwriting, saying it was important to cater to the new generation.
In his interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Stallone said, “The reason that I didn’t want to write it is because it’s a whole new generation. Forty years has passed, and what worked in my generation doesn’t exactly work in this generation.”
Stallone also told Metro that he didn’t know if he still had a part in it, and it is now going in a different direction. The decision was a mutual one, saying Rocky has no part in the story anymore. With that said, the Creed films have already honored his legacy, and the franchise will move forward and step out of Rocky’s shadow.
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Will Creed 3 Revive The Well-Loved Rocky Franchise?
For a movie franchise that feels completely familiar and new, Creed will always have an impact on both generations that have witnessed its glorious days and its rebirth. The first two Creed films were box-office hits, earning awards and recognition for their outstanding work and casting. As far as the franchise is in good hands, the torch is alive and will keep on burning.
Sylvester Stallone might have left the franchise he built himself during the time he had nothing, but knowing he supports the new generation handling the movies is enough assurance that the Rocky franchise will keep on thriving.
Creed 3 will arrive in theaters on March 3, 2023.
