In what promises to be one of the more interesting turns for a long-in-the-tooth franchise, Rocky spin-off Creed is on its way with Michael B. Jordan in a starring role. The new trailer is online and can be viewed below.
Shot by Jordan’s Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler from a script he wrote with Aaron Covington, Creed finds the actor 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 (Sylvester Stallone). 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.
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 next February.