The first trailer for Creed III has arrived, providing intense insight into Adonis Creed's next opponent in the squared circle.
With the Creed franchise's reputation for taking advantage of its status as a spinoff of the iconic Rocky films, fans were unsure what to expect from this purportedly Rocky-less threequel. Yet, the recent first glimpse of the antagonist set to face Michael B. Jordan's titular Rocky-trained boxing champ showed actor Jonathan Majors in phenomenal shape to play a boxer named Damian. While he looks ready to take the title, his motivations remained the source of speculation. However, the just-dropped first trailer for Creed III unambiguously clears up the mystery, revealing Damian as a childhood friend of Adonis' who's looking to settle his long-held grudge in the ring.
As the official logline for Creed III states, "After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian – a fighter who has nothing to lose." Thus, the film seems to showcase a pseudo-sibling rivalry between two old friends whose paths and personal fortunes diverged radically.
The plot details might come as a relief for the Creed fans who half-expected Majors' character to continue mining the Rocky films by, for example, depicting Damian as the vengeance-seeking, fool-pitying child of Mr. T's Rocky III antagonist, Clubber Lang. After all, this film follows a sequel in which Adonis faced off against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), who -- as famously depicted in 1985's Rocky IV -- beat his father, Apollo Creed, to death in the ring. Interestingly enough, that storyline might manifest another spinoff movie centered on the Drago family. However, those plans earned the ire of star Sylvester Stallone, who said he was not notified and laments the exploitation of the property.
Adonis Creed Emerges from Rocky's Shadow
While there's no way around the idea that Jordan's Adonis is the son of a tragic legacy character from the franchise, Stallone himself has expressed a desire to retire Rocky and pass on the protagonist torch to Jordan's Adonis. As he stated in a 2018 interview contemporaneous to the release of Creed II, "[The story] went on to a new generation. New problems. New adventures. And I couldn't be happier as I step back because my story has been told, there's a whole new world that's going to be opening up with the audience with this generation. Now, you have to carry the mantle."
Indeed, the current-gen star has taken the torch for Creed III in more than one way. In a move that mirrors Stallone's handling of the Rocky sequels, Jordan is now fielding double duty, stepping into the director's chair for the first time. He works off a script by Keenan Coogler (Space Jam: A New Legacy) and Zach Baylin (King Richard) based on a story developed by original Creed director Ryan Coogler. The star/director also follows Steven Caple Jr., who stepped in to direct 2018's Creed II after Coogler became tied up by Marvel's Black Panther.
Creed III is slated to hit theaters on March 3, 2023.
Source: MGM