Although the main Rocky film series wrapped up 15 years ago, Rocky Balboa has graced the big screen in recent years thanks to his appearances in the Creed movies. Just like Burgess Meredith’s Mickey Goldmill did for him back in the day, Rocky trained Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed and was integral in the son of the late Apollo Creed becoming one of the world’s best heavyweight boxers. However, Sylvester Stallone has confirmed that Rocky will not be by Adonis’ side again in Creed 3.
Recently, Sylvester Stallone went on Instagram to plug the Discover+ movie Resurrection, and in the post’s comments section, a fan asked if there was “a chance” he’d be in Creed 3. Here’s how Stallone answered:
It will be done but I won’t be in it. Keep punching
While many Rocky fans will likely be disappointed that Sylvester Stallone won’t appear in Creed 3, this shouldn’t come as a total shock. For one thing, the end of Creed II indicated that Rocky’s journey with Adonis had come to an end. After Adonis won his rematch with Florian Munteanu’s Viktor Drago, Rocky turned down celebrating in the ring with him, telling him “It’s your time.” From there, Rocky traveled to Vancouver to reunite with his estranged son and meet his grandson for the first time. Adonis is now ready to take the next steps in his boxing career without Rocky’s help, and Rocky is free to focus on his family.
Behind the scenes, Sylvester Stallone’s future as Rocky Balboa has been clouded in uncertainty. Just a week after Creed II came out, Stallone announced he was done playing the character, but the following year, the actor revealed he’d reprise Rocky for another installment in the main film series. If Rocky 7 (or whatever you want to call it) gets the green light, it would follow the famed boxer befriending a young fighter who’s illegally entered the country to see his sister.
So while Creed 3 will be a Rocky-less affair, there’s still a chance that Sylvester Stallone might reprise the character one more time. And even if that project doesn’t move forward, Stallone hasn’t turned his back on the Rocky franchise entirely. Not only has he been hard at work on a director’s cut of Rocky IV, he also recently shared a look at his treatment for a Rocky prequel TV series, which Stallone is hoping can score a few 10-episodes seasons on a streaming service. The series would show what Rocky, Adrian and Paulie were up to before the events of the first movie.
As far as Creed 3 is concerned, in addition to reprising Adonis Creed, Michael B. Jordan will also direct the threequel. He follows in the footsteps of Ryan Coogler and Steven Caple Jr, who helmed Creed and Creed II, respectively. Keegan Coogler and Zach Baylin wrote the Creed 3 script based on an outline by Ryan Coogler, and Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad will reprise Bianca and Mary Anne Creed, respectively. No plot details have been revealed yet, including whether any other characters from past Rocky movies could show up.
Creed 3 will punch its way into theaters on November 23, 2022, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on its progress. Rocky fans, vote in our poll below about if you’d like to see Sylvester Stallone play the iconic character again.
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