Creed III's Michael B. Jordan revealed why Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa won't return.
"Yeah, I think that Sly let it be known that he wasn’t coming back for this one but I think, you know, his essence and his spirit… There's always going to be a little bit of Rocky within Adonis," Jordan told IGN. He discussed how the franchise is centered on the character Adonis Creed, so it's important "to build this story and this world around him moving forward."
"So, it's always respect and always a shit-ton of love for what he's built," he continued. "But we really want to push and navigate Adonis forward and the family that he created." Jordan concluded by noting that he hopes fans will love "what we’re cooking up," adding, "I think it’s going to be something special."
Stallone portrayed iconic boxer, Rocky Balboa, in all six Rocky movies, in addition to writing them and directing all but the first and fifth films. He reprised his Rocky role for 2015's Creed and 2018's Creed II. Jordan's comments about Stallone's exit from the franchise come just days after Stallone confirmed his exit from the Creed world.
Stallone will next appear as Task Force X member King Shark in James Gunn's upcoming film The Suicide Squad. After teasing that Stallone was on the film's set earlier this year, both Gunn and Stallone revealed the actor's mystery role in March.
"OK shark coming your way!" Stallone tweeted when the first Suicide Squad trailer dropped. "The new THE SUICIDE SQUAD Is thundering your way! August 8!" Gunn responded to Stallone's tweet by posting King Shark's poster for The Suicide Squad, writing "In case you're wondering who that shark is... [Sylvester Stallone is] King Shark."
In addition to reprising his role of Adonis Creed, Jordan will make his directing debut on Creed III, from a script by Creed II writer Zach Baylin and Keenan Coogler. The film is based on a story outline written by Ryan Coogler, who directed the first Creed and is returning as a producer for the third installment in the franchise.
Creed III will see Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad reprising their roles in the franchise. The film opens in theaters Nov. 23, 2022.
Source: IGN