Michael B. Jordan will mark another momentous victory in his career when he adds the title of director to his dossier.
The actor will make his directorial debut and star as Apollo Creed’s son Adonis Johnson in “Creed III,” which is scheduled for a theatrical release on March 3, 2023. The trailer of the film was released on October 18, 2022.
The “Rocky” IP was revived via the “Creed” franchise in 2015 to the tune of $173 million at the box office. A sequel was filmed in 2018 and accumulated $214 million at the box office.
“Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right. ‘Creed III’ is that moment — a time in my life where I’ve grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally, and learning from the Greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top tier directors I respect. All of which sets the table for this moment,” said Jordan, who will also have a title as producer for the third installment.
“This franchise and in particular the themes of ‘Creed III’ are deeply personal to me. I look forward to sharing the next chapter of Adonis Creed’s story with the awesome responsibility of being its director and namesake.”
It was not made clear in the announcement if Sylvester Stallone will answer the acting bell as Rocky Balboa and the mentor figure to the son of his former-foe-turned-friend.
The film will be made by MGM Studios. It will be executive produced by Sev Ohanian, Adam Rosenberg and Zinzi Coogler. Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin will be the screenwriters. Actresses Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad will return to their previous roles.
“The films of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise have always been important to me and my family,” said producer Ryan Coogler. “It was an honor to help bring the Creed franchise to life.”
Irwin Winkler, producer of the original “Rocky” films and the “Creed” spinoffs, said: “I cannot overstate how thrilled we are to have Michael directing the third film in the Creed series. His commitment to this character has been nothing short of extraordinary, and we know that will extend to his role behind the camera at the helm of this great new installment.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com