Sylvester Stallone is not expected to return as Rocky in Creed 3, but we're not ruling out a cameo yet. After all, the actor has misled us before.
Sylvester Stallone will not appear in Creed III as Rocky, but fans shouldn't rule out a cameo just yet. After all, Stallone has a long history of misleading fans of several of his most famous franchises. The Creed movies function as sequels to the original boxing movies featuring Stallone as Rocky Balboa – Rocky through Rocky V and Rocky Balboa. Michael B. Jordan takes over as the lead in the movies in the role of Adonis Johnson, the son of one of Rocky's greatest opponents, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), who is trained by Rocky.
Stallone announced he won't return in Creed III after Creed II released in 2018. Stallone played a crucial role in the first film in the franchise, even landing a Golden Globe Award for his performance. He returned in a slightly smaller capacity for Creed II, but revealed soon after that Rocky's journey in the Creed franchise had come to an end. This makes sense, as the series primarily follows Adonis' journey. With the third film on the way, it's only natural for the Creed franchise to adopt an even tighter focus on Adonis.
Adonis actor Michael B. Jordan is also set to direct Creed III, marking his directorial debut. Jordan will surely bring a unique vision to the film, but Creed III is also notable in that Stallone's lack of onscreen involvement signals a lack of involvement offscreen as well. The 74-year-old has penned the script for each entry in the Rocky franchise, and similarly wrote the Rocky portions of the first two Creed films. Screenwriter Zach Baylin is taking over for Creed III, with Stallone moving on from the franchise. And yet, there remains plenty of reason to believe Stallone could briefly appear as Rocky in the upcoming film.
The aftermath of Creed II is far from the first time Stallone has publicly stated that he won't come back for a sequel. He did the same thing after Rocky III in 1982, only to return for Rocky IV in 1985. Rocky V in 1990 was then supposed to mark the end of Rocky's journey, but Stallone eventually reprised his role in 2006 with Rocky Balboa. Once again, Stallone announced that he was done with the character, only to return in his most acclaimed performance yet with 2015's Creed.
Stallone may have truly believed that he was done with Rocky after each of these announcements, but he inevitably changed his mind and came to see new potential for the character. With Rocky serving as more of a mentor in the Creed franchise, and with Adonis growing increasingly independent, it makes sense that Stallone would see very little story left to tell for the Italian Stallion. And yet, there remains plenty of precedent to suggest he will at least make a small cameo in Creed III. He made similar announcements prior to both Rambo 3 and Rambo 4, and is set to co-star in the forthcoming The Expendables 4 despite earlier announcements to the contrary. Considering the public outcry in response to Stallone's absence from Creed III, a cameo remains a genuine possibility.
