Creed III: Michael B. Jordan Steps Into the Director’s Chair for the Latest Installment of the Rocky Franchise
In Creed III, Michael B. Jordan returns as Adonis “Donnie” Creed, the scrappy underdog-turned-world champion boxer from the Rocky franchise.[0] After retiring on top and focusing on his family, Donnie's plans are thrown off course when an old friend, played by Jonathan Majors, suddenly reappears. With this film, Jordan is also making his directorial debut, starring along with Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris, and Mila Davis-Kent.
The Rocky franchise has seen many iterations over the years, from the original 1976 film to 2006's Rocky Balboa, but none have been as groundbreaking as Creed.[1] In Creed, Sylvester Stallone gave the character of Rocky Balboa one last shot by mentoring the son of his old rival, Apollo Creed, and so began the Creed series.[1] Creed II (2018) revisited the rivalry between Rocky and Ivan Drago by having Drago train his son to avenge his long-ago defeat at Rocky's hands.[2] Like the other Creed and Rocky movies, this film builds personal tensions between the characters to create excitement in the boxing ring.[3]
In Creed III, the story has shifted over to Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the estranged son of Apollo Creed.[4] With this third installment, Jordan steps behind the camera for the first time as the director and brings a unique visual language to the film.[0] The story follows Adonis as he has transitioned from boxing to running a gym, being a stay-at-home-dad, and focusing on his career outside of the ring. But his plans are thrown off course when an old friend, Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), reappears and the two become rivals.
Creed III is out in cinemas now and has received praise for its exploration of the challenge of staying “authentic” while being famous.[5] It's a must-see for fans of the series as well as newcomers looking for a thrilling boxing movie with a personal twist. With Jordan at the helm, Creed III is set to be a classic of the Rocky franchise and is sure to leave viewers eager for a potential fourth installment.
0. “‘Creed III' review: Michael Jordan and Jonathan Majors turn sequel into clash of 2 acting titans” GMA, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/creed-iii-review-michael-jordan-jonathan-majors-turn-97494813
1. “How Does ‘Creed 3' Handle Rocky's Absence?” Collider, 3 Mar. 2023, https://collider.com/is-rocky-in-creed-3/
2. “Apollo Creed's family tree in ‘Rocky' and ‘Creed' boxing movies including son Adonis & more” Sporting News, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.sportingnews.com/us/boxing/news/creed-iii-creed-family-history-apollo-adonis/bl7zht29vhwqwfiri1fvslpe
3. “Creed III review: Michael B. Jordan's directing debut isn't a knockout but still packs a wallop” Yahoo Life, 1 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/creed-iii-review-michael-b-120000116.html
4. “Review: ‘Creed III' lacks punch without Balboa – or Stallone – in its corner” WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.wxyz.com/news/review-creed-iii-lacks-punch-without-balboa-or-stallone-in-its-corner
5. “Why Michael B. Jordan is back for Creed III and not Sylvester Stallone” Entertainment Weekly News, 3 Mar. 2023, https://ew.com/movies/who-returned-creed-3-previous-movies/
