While the “Creed” film franchise is clearly about the struggles of Adonis Creed, as he attempts to escape the shadow of his legendary father and become a champion in his own right, the fact that Sylvester Stallone plays such a crucial role as Rocky Balboa in the first two films always created this undeniable link between the “Rocky” franchise and this new iteration. Well, it appears the link is going to be a bit severed in the upcoming third “Creed” film from actor-director Michael B. Jordan.
READ MORE: Michael B. Jordan Confirmed To Direct ‘Creed III,’ Film Given Thanksgiving 2022 Release
According to THR, Sylvester Stallone will not be appearing in “Creed II” as Rocky Balboa. While it’s still unclear what the storyline for the new film might be, it seems as if the role of Rocky as Adonis’ defacto father figure/boxing coach isn’t going to be necessary in the sequel. At the end of “Creed II,” it was revealed that Rocky reconnected with his estranged son and found a new life that didn’t need to revolve around boxing or his legacy. At the time, Stallone talked about how that was going to be the final time he appeared as Rocky in a film. However, when “Creed III” was announced, fans assumed there would be some role for Stallone in the feature. But apparently, that’s not the case.
As mentioned, “Creed III,” once again, stars Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad. And yes, Jordan is not only going to star in the film, but he’ll also make his directorial debut with the highly-anticipated sequel.
READ MORE: Sylvester Stallone Is Working On A ‘Rocky IV’ Director’s Cut & Vows To Take Out The Robot
Even though you won’t be getting more Rocky Balboa in “Creed III,” there is more Rocky content on the horizon. First, there’s the recent announcement from Stallone that he’s beginning the process of pitching a prequel TV series based on a young Rocky Balboa that is gaining interest from a number of streaming services. Then, as we reported, months ago, the actor-filmmaker was also working on a brand-new cut of “Rocky IV,” which according to a new Instagram post, he has finally finished. Obviously, there’s no way of knowing when/how we’re going to see the new cut of “Rocky IV,” but this is something that surely has us intrigued, to say the least.
“Creed III” has a release date set for November 23, 2022.