Creed 2 is set to take direct inspiration from Rocky IV as the son of Apollo Creed will face off against the son of Dolph Lundgren's Ivan Drago. Now, we know exactly who Michael B. Jordan will be going up against, and he's a beast. Florian Munteanu is a Romanian boxer whose nickname is "Big Nasty" by the looks of him, the nickname is well earned, making him perfect to play the lead antagonist for the upcoming Creed sequel.
Following significant speculation, it's been confirmed that the plot of Creed 2 will follow from the events of Rocky IV, where we'll see Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed going up against the man responsible for the death of his father, Ivan Drago. While Dolph Lundgren has been getting in shape for the new film, and some physical activity for him has been hinted at, the understanding was always that the main focus of the sequel would be a battle between two sons. The Tracking Board is now reporting that the actor to play the son of Drago has been found in Florian "Big Nasty" Munteanu.
As an actual boxer, Florian Munteanu has the in-ring ability to pull off the role which is clearly important. Munteanu is a relative newcomer to acting, with only a German short film on his resume to date. Creed 2 is clearly a major get for the young actor. It's also fitting in a "like father, like son" sort of way. Rocky IV was technically the second big-screen role for Dolph Lundgren, who had made his debut in the James Bond film A View to a Kill only a few months earlier in 1985. Lundgren would go on to a successful film career, so we can't discount the same possibility here.
Choosing to take inspiration from Rocky IV makes a lot of sense for the Creed sequel. The film is one of the more popular in the franchise and considering how the events of that film were a direct influence on the original Creed in its own way, it's not surprising to see them continue forward into this sequel. The first film's story acted as a sort of coming out party for Adonis Creed and following his performance in the ring he's clearly going be a name in the news. This will likely lead the media to drum up his father's fate, which will in turn draw the attention of Ivan Drago and his family.
Creed 2 is expected to start filming shortly and it has a November release date, so we'll be seeing a pretty quick turn around. If the sequel is as well received as the previous entry, we could see a movie that is actually bigger than Rocky IV. The only question now, is what song do you use for the montage of Michael B. Jordan training in the snow?
