“Creed III” is nearly here.
The third film in the popular “Rocky” off-shoot will arrive in theaters on March 3, 2023, and this time Michael B. Jordan will both star and direct. And if the trailer is any indication, it’s going to be a knockout.
As the trailer sets up, the new film sees Adonis Creed (Jordan) living his best life – he is an entrepreneur with a loving wife (Tessa Thompson) and son. But then someone from his past, played by the great Jonathan Majors, reemerges, and threatens to take everything. As you can imagine, they will ultimately settle things in the ring. It looks like a ton of fun, and should this be the end of the “Creed” franchise, seems like it’ll go out on top. (That, of course, is far from a sure thing, especially given the longevity of the mainline “Rocky” series.)
TheWrap attended a press conference with Jordan, who said about his decision to get into directing, “At 35-years-old, I had a lot to say as a young Black man. It was the right time.” Not that he has been sitting idly by; he says that working with directors like original “Creed” and “Black Panther” filmmaker Ryan Coogler (who has a story credit on “Creed III”) and more recently Denzel Washington helped prepare him.
“I’ve been watching, putting together decks and folders over time,” Jordan said. “Everything was lining up perfectly for this opportunity.”
When asked how difficult it was to be in scenes that he was also directing, Jordan joked, “It’s low-key torture, but it’s fun.”
He said that he was drawn to the “multi-tasking nature of it.”
On Majors’ character, who the moderator referred to as a villain, Jordan quickly corrected, “We like to say ‘antagonist.’” And while he wouldn’t divulge too much about the character Majors is playing, he did say, “We’re very lucky and blessed to have him.” (Majors is also about to become a serious “antagonist” in Jordan’s old stomping grounds: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.)
“I was nervous about it connecting with people,” Jordan said about his initial fears when entering the project. Based on the trailer, those fears should all but evaporate.
“Creed III” hits theaters on March 3, 2023.
