Michael B. Jordan to Direct ‘Creed III,’ Release Date Announced for 2022
By Kurt Balingit
MGM has announced that Michael B. Jordan will make his directorial debut with the upcoming film “Creed III,” the latest installment in the Rocky/Creed franchise.The film, set to be released in theaters on Nov. 23, 2022, will have a returning cast of Michael B Jordan, Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad. It is written by Ryan Coogler (“Space Jam: A New Legacy”) and Zach Baylin (“King Richard”).
Jordan will remain the star of the film, playing Adonis “Creed” Johnson, son of the deceased boxing legend Apollo Creed from the original “Rocky” movies. Apollo Creed was Rocky Balboa’s (Sylvester Stallone) former rival turned close friend, who was killed in his fight versus Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) in “Rocky IV”. In “Creed II” Adonis was able to get his revenge by defeating Ivan Drago’s son Viktor (Florian Munteanu).
As Michael B. Jordan is set to direct and star in the upcoming film, he mimics his on-screen mentor Sylvester Stallone, who directed “Rocky II,” “Rocky III”, “Rocky IV” and “Rocky Balboa” in 2006.
Michael B. Jordan was excited to speak on the opportunity stating…
“Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right,” said the director/star. “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. 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.”
Michael B. Jordan