Michael B. Jordan explains why Sylvester Stallone won't be making an appearance in the forthcoming Creed 3. In 2015, Jordan teamed up with Ryan Coogler to revive the beloved Rocky franchise, albeit with a new angle. Set years after the original movies, Creed focuses on Adonis (Jordan), son of heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). As Adonis starts on his own boxing career, he seeks out Rocky Balboa (Stallone) as a mentor. Creed was a hit when it premiered and led to the release of a sequel in 2018, which continued Adonis and Rocky's story.
Rumblings of a Creed 3 began around the time of the sequel's release, and it recently gained some major traction behind the scenes. This time around, Jordan will be the one sitting in the director's chair, and Rocky won't have a role. That's right: Stallone won't be in Creed 3. He confirmed the news himself last week, responding to a fan's question on social media. The story for Creed 3 has yet to be revealed, and it remains to be seen how Rocky's absence will be explained. However, it sounds like his presence will still be felt in a meaningful way.
While speaking to IGN about his new film Tom Clancy's Without Remorse, Jordan answered the question of why Stallone won't be returning for Creed 3. Ultimately, it's about furthering Adonis' story in his own franchise, though he'll always have a bit of his mentor inside him. Jordan said:
"Yeah, 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. 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. So, hopefully you guys will love what I’m thinking… what we’re cooking up. I think it’s going to be something special."
Jordan's reasoning makes perfect sense, and it even sounds like a promising development for Creed 3. Having Rocky in the first film added the perfect dose of nostalgia and enhanced both his character and Adonis'. However, by the sequel there was a feeling that he wasn't entirely needed, and including him in Creed 3 might have pushed it too far. Instead, the franchise can move forward with a focus on Adonis without wrangling an unnecessary story for Rocky. Hopefully, Creed 3 will find a way to honor Rocky's impact on Adonis without Stallone there.
Stallone might not be returning for Creed 3, but Tessa Thompson is set to make a third appearance as Adonis' girlfriend-turned-fiancée Bianca. Currently, the project is expected to begin filming later this year ahead of a Thanksgiving 2022 debut, so it'll likely be a while before more plot details are revealed. It will be a bit disappointing, not having Stallone return for another Rocky performance, but Jordan's reasoning is sound. It's for the best that Creed 3 moves beyond Rocky and gives Adonis a story that is wholly his own. It still might hold ties to the original films, but this time, he'll face it by himself.
Source: IGN
