Creed represents a passing of the torch for the Rocky franchise, an unexpected happening that even the man behind the original film, Sylvester Stallone, didn’t expect to occur. He seems pleased with the transition, though, as he explains in a new featurette about the movie’s connections to the past and its hopes for the future.
Originally dreamt up by Fruitvale Station’s Ryan Coogler, which he then turned into script alongside Aaron Covington, Creed finds Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson, a driven young fighter who despite the boxing ability pulsing through his veins, never knew his father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died in the ring before he was born.
But while he’s not so eager to embrace connections to his dad, he’s been fighting all of his life with little discipline, so he knows he needs a good trainer. That finds him crossing paths with one of Apollo’s most famous opponents: Rocky Balboa (Stallone, back in his iconic role). Despite his misgivings and insistence that he’s out of the fight game, Rocky sees in Adonis the spirit of his father, and agrees to take him on. And both men realise they need this, as they’re facing dangerous opponents… We’re definitely stoked for this one, as it hopefully represents a smarter way to continue the Rocky legacy.
With Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad and real life pro boxer Anthony Bellew in the cast, Creed has shifted its release date slightly, and will now arrive in UK cinemas on January 15.