Creed star Michael B. Jordan has confirmed that Creed 4 is on the way ahead of the upcoming release of the franchise's third film. The first Creed movie was released in 2015 and starred Jordan as Adonis Creed and Sylvester Stallone as his iconic Rocky Balboa character, albeit much later on in his life. The film series follows Creed's rise in a boxing world that forces him to overcome countless internal and external obstacles. Stallone was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work in the original film. The trilogy-completing Creed 3 will hit theaters on March 3.
In an interview with IGN, Jordan says that Creed 4 is "for sure" happening. The lead actor and Creed 3 director doesn't confirm any specific projects but does say he wants to expand the universe of the films. The events of Creed 2 saw Adonis go toe-to-toe in the ring with Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago. Ivan knocked out and killed Adonis' father, Apollo, in the second round of an exhibition fight in Rocky IV. The next film will be several years removed from those events, setting up a new challenge in Creed 3 that may lead to spinoffs or direct follow-ups. Check out Jordan's brief comment on Creed's future below.
"I just want to expand the Creed-verse within reason, but definitely expect other things around Creed for sure."
How The Creed & Rocky Universe Can Grow
The Rocky movie franchise has gone through a lot of ups and downs, dating back to its beginnings in 1976. Creed revitalized it in 2015 and set the table for a bright future following Adonis Creed, with Rocky deeply invested in his training and well-being. It was a perfect plan that was executed just as well. It brought back the iconic Stallone and paired him up with a superstar actor in Jordan. Creed's success meant that a future did exist for the franchise, but after Creed 2 tackled a rivalry that spanned back into the Rocky films, Creed 3 appears to be focusing solely on Adonis.
The time jump between the second and third films was an early indication that Creed could be setting up future stories. With less or perhaps no focus on Rocky, it sets up a very interesting dynamic between Adonis and his family of three. The arrival of Damian Anderson will open the story up to Adonis' past as well, which is a good step after tackling Rocky's shared demons in other films. Dame has been set up as a sympathetic villain so far. In the Creed 3 trailer, it's revealed that he and Adonis were childhood friends and rivals before he was arrested. Dame's aggression is more nuanced and layered than a typical villain's, though.
It's possible that Creed could shift more focus onto a sympathetic villain who could one day become the hero of his story. That said, Jordan's comments suggest that neither he nor the Creed franchise are going anywhere in the near future. He wants to expand the Creed universe, which could be the reason for Creed 3's deeper villain, but it also seems likely that the Adonis character will continue on as well. If things are executed well, the Rocky and Creed franchise could span even further into the future with its characters and stories. A lot of that will ride on the performance and reception of the highly-anticipated Creed 3.
Source: IGN
