Rocky is inching toward its 50th anniversary and the film franchise is still striving to reach new heights. In just a few months, actor Michael B. Jordan is set to make his directorial debut during Creed III while also starring alongside Jonathan Majors and Tessa Thompson. While there is a ton of excitement around the film’s imminent release, it appears that the latest Creed film will be missing a key figure. For the first time in the Rocky–Creed franchise, Sylvester Stallone will not appear in the film. During a recent interview with Metro, Stallone explained why he wouldn’t be in the upcoming picture.
“I just didn’t know if there was any part for me,” Stallone said.
Stallone may not have found any part for his legendary character, but he’s kept up with the film’s developments. Without spoiling anything, Stallone said that the plot of Creed III is “really interesting.”
“It takes it in a different direction. I wish them well and keep punching,” he added.
Stallone is not the only person who has spoken about the film in recent weeks. While promoting Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder, Tessa Thompson spoke openly about the process of working with actor-director Michael B. Jordan. She says that she’s felt more “freedom” working on this project than she has in the last two films.
“In the past, it’s been a lot of work to make sure that she has agency and an arc in the context of these sports films, essentially,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I wanted to make sure that she’s not just moving the plot forward, and that she actually has something interesting to do. And I typically do that work with the writers … but this time around, I could do that work more actively with Mike.”
Creed III was originally set to debut in November, but recent rumors suggest it could be pushed back to March 2023. Stay tuned for more developments regarding the latest chapter of the Rocky–Creed saga.
