If the Rocky franchise was the ultimate underdog tale that taught us about believing in yourself against all odds, then the Creed series attempts to take these ideas and add new nuances concerning social inequity and overcoming personal demons, which is sadly more relevant than ever. No matter where you come from or what your circumstances might have been growing up, with hard work and the support of others, you can do anything – from becoming the heavyweight boxing champion of the world to directing a big Hollywood movie for the very first time. With Creed III, Michael B. Jordan returns as Adonis Creed, the son of Rocky Balboa foe-turned-best friend Apollo Creed. With the help of the Italian Stallion in the first two Creed films, Adonis followed in his father’s footsteps to become a sports legend in his own right, and his journey largely lived up to the classics it was inspired by. In the new film, the titular character retires a champion until he forges a comeback driven by his painful past.
Beyond fighting adversity as lead narrative, an additional parallel here is that with the third Creed film, Jordan himself is sort of following a path set by Sylvester Stallone, who wrote, starred in and directed himself in four of the six Rocky films. Jordan is known as both a serious actor and a heartthrob (he won People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” title in 2020), but in terms of behind-the-camera work, directing seemed to come out of the blue. Apparently it wasn’t, though. At Creed III’s press conference in West Hollywood last week, Jordan explained that the first Creed film’s writer and director, Ryan Coogler, who also directed the actor in one of his early films, 2013’s Fruitvale Station and in 2018’s Black Panther, encouraged him to make this pivot a long time ago.
“He definitely had a lot to do with it. You know, I think he first told me that I could direct….I was in awe of what he was doing, seeing a black man, my age, somebody I knew…
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