Sylvester Stallone Set to Direct Creed 2

Screen Rant

Creed 2: Sylvester Stallone Is Set to Direct

By Cooper Hood

Published Oct 10, 2017

Sylvester Stallone confirms that he will direct Creed 2, where he will also reprise his role as Rocky Balboa next to Michael B. Jordan.

Sylvester Stallone has confirmed that he will direct Creed 2. Stallone's breakout role in cinema was as the fearless professional boxer Rocky, and he's done his best to keep the legacy going. After six movies that revolved around his fighting career, many never anticipated that the Rocky franchise would be revived. That all changed when director Ryan Coogler brought the idea of Creed to Stallone, and the results earned Stallone an Academy Award nomination.

The film was a huge hit critically, and grossed $170 million worldwide on a reported $40 million budget, but also left audiences eager to see more of Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed. However, with Coogler now an in-demand director with Black Panther on the way, his involvement in the Creed sequel has been up in the air. Now, it has been confirmed from Rocky himself that he will be stepping behind the camera for the movie.

Stallone took to Instagram to confirm that he is directing Creed 2, which will feature him also reprising his role as Rocky alongside Jordan. He also confirmed that filming will begin next year, following recent reports that it will begin principal photography in February.

Looking forward to directing and Producing The incredibly talented Michael B Jordan in CREED 2 next year ... One more Round ! #creed2 #mgm #fighting #workout #exercise #boxing A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on Oct 9, 2017 at 5:59pm PDT

Stallone is no stranger to being behind the camera, especially when it comes to the Rocky franchise. He previously directed Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, and Rocky Balboa, but also jumped into the bigger action films with Rambo and The Expendables. Unlike all of his previous directorial efforts (except for Staying Alive), Stallone will not be the star of this film. While Rocky will certainly be present, this will be Adonis' story.

News of Stallone directing comes after months of teases from him that he's been developing the sequel. It was already reported that he was writing the script for Creed 2, and he's gone on to confirm the return of Dolph Lundgren as Drago. How Drago will be brought back is unknown, but the teases could point to Adonis battling Drago's son, or perhaps even seeing Drago and Rocky go against each other again, but with their pupils doing the fighting.

As competent as Stallone is behind the camera, fans of Creed will undoubtedly be disappointed to learn that Coogler is not returning. So far, he has no role in the sequel with Stallone serving as writer and director, but hopefully Coogler will at least serve as a producer and give his thoughts. If not, Stallone is plenty familiar with this franchise, so fans will have to wait and see what he delivers.