Creed 3 Will Be Directed by Michael B. Jordan, Confirms Tessa Thompson

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Michael B. Jordan’s Creed co-star Tessa Thompson has confirmed Jordan will be directing Creed 3. After 2006’s Rocky Balboa, many thought the long-running boxing saga had come to an end, including Stallone himself. However, when director Ryan Coogler presented the idea of a spinoff/continuation of the story, which follows Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of Apollo Creed to Sylvester Stallone, the evergreen boxing story was born again. Creed proved to be a financial success and received strong critical acclaim for bringing a fresh spin to the story, as well as bringing it into modern times.

Naturally, a sequel would follow in 2018, which Stallone wrote and Steven Caple Jr. directed. Although it didn’t provide the same refreshing narrative of the original Creed, Creed 2 went on to be an even bigger box office hit, and it also seemed to be the passing of the torch as Stallone bid farewell to his Rocky character after the film’s release. Creed 3 seemed inevitable, but news on a potential threequel went a little quiet until earlier this year. In February, Zach Baylin (King Richard) was hired to write the script for the third installment, and in October, a report came out stating that Jordan himself would take over as the director. Now, Jordan’s Creed co-star has confirmed his position as the director of part 3.

In an interview with MTV News promoting her latest film, Sylvie’s Love, Tessa Thompson discussed Jordan’s newfound title of 2020’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ and jokingly said she was going to pretend it “hasn’t happened” due to them making another Creed “very soon” and that Jordan’s new title is too much for her “to shoulder.” But after Thompson claimed she would give him “a lot of crap about it,” she was asked if Jordan will be directing, and the actress said, “He is directing the next Creed.” She would follow up by continuing to tease her co-star by saying, “it’s gonna be ammo, I think, for me when he is engaging with me as a director. I’m just going to tell him to dial down the sexiness.”

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Thompson has now officially confirmed that Creed 3 is very much a go, not only by confirming Jordan’s directorial debut but also with the statement that they will be filming “very soon.” The confirmation of Jordan’s status is certainly exciting, as it will be interesting to see what he will bring to the table as a director and if he can take the franchise in a new direction, perhaps one that does not involve rehashing another past Rocky rivalry like Creed 2 does. In the past, the actor has admittedly taken inspiration from anime for his boxing film, so what inspires Jordan’s Creed 3 remains to be seen. There is certainly no shortage of options for the third film, especially considering the Rocky saga’s long history.

Jordan is now also following in Stallone’s footsteps by directing and starring in the film, as Stallone was famous for directing and starring in several Rocky films, including Rocky Balboa in 2006. Fans of the franchise and, of course, MGM will surely be hoping Jordan has the Midas touch much like Stallone did, and it does not seem like they will have to wait too long before they find out if he does or does not. It would be a shame if the latest film did not continue the good work of the previous installments. Time will tell, but the confirmation of Jordan directing Creed 3 is no doubt an exciting piece of news.