Michael B. Jordan will play the role of Adonis Creed, Tessa Thompson will portray Bianca Creed and Phylicia Rashad will step back in as Mary Anne Creed. With that said, there will be a few major changes to the Creed franchise as the third chapter debuts. Most notably, Sylvester Stallone will not return to play the role of Rocky. Behind the scenes, there will also be a major change. Like Stallone, Michael B. Jordan will direct himself in Creed III. Not only is it Jordan’s first time directing a Creed film, but it is also the first time he has directed any feature film. A tall task such is that led Jordan to call on a pair of Academy Award winners to guide him.
“I was pretty anxious going into it, wondering what that would be like,” Jordan told Ben Travis of Empire.
“Talking with Denzel and Bradley Cooper and others who have directed themselves, they told me you have to find your groove and your pace with your first AD and actors…But it’s also like having a superpower: within your performance, you can also direct. It saves some time in some areas because you get a chance to self-correct at the moment. So that’s a liberating experience to have. It became fun after a while.”
Jordan was able to call on Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper for advice. He was also able to call on longtime collaborator Ryan Coogler for advice as well.
“I mean, I’m not answering that, bro. I’m not answering that,” Coogler told Collider when asked if he offered Jordan any advice or feedback regarding Creed III.
“Yeah, that’s crazy. I mean, I’ll answer what it was like. I’ll answer that. Fantastic. That’s what it was like. I was filled with a lot of pride for Mike [B. Jordan], for Jonathan [Majors], for Tessa [Thompson], for Phylicia [Rashad], and for the young star that everybody’s about to meet that plays Amara. I was filled with a deep, deep, deep sense of pride.”
