Last week, it was reported that Sylvester Stallone is going to step away from the “Creed” franchise and not appear as Rocky Balboa in the upcoming three-quel from actor-director Michael B. Jordan. Of course, this news was met with a bit of disappointment from fans of the franchise that have grown to enjoy the relationship Rocky and Adonis have displayed over the first two ‘Creed’ films. But according to Jordan, the idea of not including Rocky in the upcoming sequel is more to do with making sure the franchise enters a new realm of storytelling, away from the Stallone origins.
READ MORE: Sylvester Stallone Won’t Appear In ‘Creed III’
Speaking to IGN (via Yahoo), Michael B. Jordan talked about the reason for not including Stallone in “Creed III.” The decision, it appears, stems more from wanting the franchise to enter new ground than anything to do with Stallone or the Rocky Balboa character.
“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 the actor. “But this is a ‘Creed’ franchise, and we really want to build this story and this world around him moving forward. So, it’s always respect and always a shit-ton of love for what he’s built, but we really want to push and navigate Adonis forward and the family that he created.”
READ MORE: Michael B. Jordan Confirmed To Direct ‘Creed III,’ Film Given Thanksgiving 2022 Release
Jordan continued, “Hopefully you guys will love what I’m thinking…what we’re cooking up. I think it’s going to be something special.”
As we saw at the end of “Creed II,” we saw Rocky Balboa reconnect with his estranged son. And you could argue the boxer’s story is pretty well wrapped up with that ending. However, considering “Creed” is inspired by the “Rocky” film franchise, not seeing Stallone in the film will be a bit jarring for longtime fans. If you’re someone that is excited by the prospect of the “Creed” films branching away from the “Rocky” franchise, this is good news, as the first two films were heavily inspired by previous entries in the Stallone franchise from decades earlier.
Obviously, we’ll have to wait and see what Jordan has up his sleeve when “Creed III” arrives in theaters on November 23, 2022.
