Michael B. Jordan Addresses Decision to Not Bring Sylvester Stallone Back for 'Creed III'
Michael B. Jordan is opening up about making his directorial debut with the upcoming Creed III.
After starring in the first two Creed movies, the 35-year-old actor got behind the camera for the first time to direct the third installment, which will be out in theaters on March 3, 2023.
In a new interview, Michael talked about directing for the first time, revealed who’s given him advice, and also explained why Sylvester Stallone‘s Rocky Balboa isn’t in the movie.
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“I’ve been blessed to work with and learn from incredible directors over the years, like Ryan [Coogler, who directed Creed] and Steven [Caple Jr., who directed Creed II], who gave me a ton of guidance and mentorship heading into this process,” Michael shared with Total Film.
He continued, “Ryan was one of the first people that really solidified directing as an aspiration for me. I remember him saying on the first Creed, ‘It’s never the right time. You just gotta jump in the deep end and go for it.’ I also received a ton of mentorship from Denzel Washington… There’s not a lot of people who have directed themselves.”
Later in the interview, Michael then explained how they decided to do a time jump for Creed III, which would show his character Adonis at a different point in his life, which doesn’t include Sylvester‘s Rocky.
“We wouldn’t have Donnie without Rocky, and he will always be a pillar in Donnie’s life, but Creed III is really the dawn of a new era for the franchise and the character,” Michael explained. “It was really important from a storytelling perspective to get to a pivotal point in Donnie’s career a few years down the line where he has really established himself with his professional career and his family.”
If you missed it, Sylvester recently shared his true feelings on not being in Creed III.