Here's how Ryan Coogler filmed Creed's single take fight sequence. Several years after the last installment of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky franchise, Coogler helped revitalize the series through a reboot centered around Apollo Creed's son. Michael B. Jordan took on the lead role of Adonis Creed, and many were surprised to learn in 2015 that Creed delivered. The movie earned rave reviews and successfully relaunched the Rocky franchise in a big way.
Following a similar formula as Rocky and other fighting movies, Creed follows Adonis' life as he's trying to rise through the boxing ranks. This includes him quitting his day job and hiding the fact that he's Apollo's son, which eventually is revealed to the world. Creed balances its fights with personal stories for Adonis and Rocky Balboa, and the film's dramatic moments exemplify why it works so well. That said, there are several impressive fights that show off Michael B. Jordan's physical transformation to star in Creed, but one is more impressive than the rest.
During Adonis' ascension in the boxing world, Creed's standout fight comes as he fights Philadelphia local fighter Leo Sporino (Gabriel Rosado). The nearly four-minute fight encompasses two rounds of Adonis and Leo's match, including the introduction, a between rounds rest, and the post-match celebration. What makes the sequence so impressive, though, is that Coogler and cinematographer Maryse Alberti managed to do it all in a single take without any cuts. Pulling this off required extensive planning, choreography, and rehearsals. This is where the team figured out the clever camera movements to capture the entire sequence and how to use a mixture of practical makeup and a small amount of VFX to show the wounds the fighters sustain after the biggest punches.
The beginning of Creed's single take fight is pretty simple in terms of its execution, as Michael B. Jordan and Gabriel Rosado lightly spar to open things up. This includes the camera rotating around the fighters to cover up the impacts of the bigger punches. After Leo Sporino connects on a few hits early on, Adonis Creed's left eyebrow is split open and begins to bleed. This was accomplished through CGI, as there wasn't enough time to practically apply the injury to Jordan during the course of the fight. However, the blood that later is shown on his face at the end of round one was achieved practically, as makeup artists quickly applied it to Jordan's face when the camera wasn't on him.
Thanks to the complexity of the fight choreography and application of makeup, Coogler and Alberti filmed Creed's single take fight scene thirteen times. Only two of the takes were fully completed and usable for editing, with the eleventh take used in the final cut. Coogler's experience making Creed's single take fight allowed him to then craft another intricate "one shot" action scene for Black Panther. Although Steven Caple Jr. didn't attempt to top Creed's single take fight in the sequel, there's always a chance Michael B. Jordan will incorporate one into Creed 3, which he is also directing.