“His absence makes him an even bigger figure”: Creed 3 Star Tessa Thompson on Why Sylvester Stallone isn’t in the Movie

With the directorial debut of Michael B. Jordon finally hitting the big screen, fans and critics have been hailing Creed 3 with love and appreciation, but many were stunned by the absence of Sylvester Stallone in the movie. And Tessa Thompson, who reprised the role of Bianca in the threequel, went on to share her viewpoint on the absence of the founding father of the franchise.

It appears that after playing the role of the iconic Rocky Balboa for years and crafting the most successful sports franchise in the industry, Sylvester Stallone may have finally passed the torch to his successor. But even though the actor wasn’t physically present on the sets, Tessa Thompson expressed that his presence was still there.

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Tessa Thompson reflected on the absence of Sylvester Stallone in Creed III

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Tessa Thompson reflected on the fact of Sylvester Stallone’s absence from the Creed threequel. She expressed that even though he wasn’t physically present in the sets, his essence was still there and she never felt his absence. While commending The Rocky Balboa star on crafting this wonderful franchise, the actress stated that his absence even made him a bigger figure as his importance can’t be extracted from the movies. She stated,

“This might sound like a line, but I sincerely think that he’s so a part of the DNA of this that he felt ever-present to me. And in some ways, his absence makes him an even bigger figure in my mind, in terms of the franchise. He’s built something that is so strong and so durable that we were able to reinvigorate it and borrow from the universe and create something of our own.”

With the torch finally being passed from Stallone’s Rocky Balboa to Jordan’s Adonis Creed, it appears that the franchise is ready to move on from Rocky with Michael B. Jordan confirming that the Creed universe will continue to expand.

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The Creed universe will focus on new characters moving forward

In an interview, Michael B. Jordan confirmed that the Creed universe will continue to grow and expand and will focus on more than Adonis moving forward. He stressed that the franchise is ready to shift its focus on other characters and bring them into the limelight in the foreseeable future. He stated,

“You will see the Creed verse continue to grow and expand. I think that we invested in some really interesting characters that I think a lot of people were responding to. There’s going to be more of the Creed family, and there’s gonna be more of some of the characters that you love from this movie.”

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With the iconic franchise ready to move beyond its prominent figures, we might not get to witness Sylvester Stallone in the role of Rocky anytime (if ever) soon. And even though Sylvester Stallone has previously expressed that he is open to the idea of returning as Rocky, following the creative differences of the actor with the new direction of the franchise, it seems unlikely.

Creed III is currently playing in theatres.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter