Sylvester Stallone Set To Direct And Produce ‘Creed 2’
UPDATE 6:45 PM PST October 9: Sylvester Stallone is officially jumping back in the ring with Michael B. Jordan for Creed 2 — as the director and producer. The Oscar-nominated actor confirmed on Instagram that he will helm the sequel to the Rocky spin-off which will start production in 2018.
“Looking forward to directing and producing the incredibly talented Michael B. Jordan in CREED 2 next year …one more round!” he wrote on Instagram.
The news comes a little over a month after Stallone posted a photo on Instagram hinting about his expanded involvement the sequel. Deadline reported that he was writing the script for Creed 2, but there were previously no reports that he would direct — even though it felt like he was going to.
EARLIER: A sequel to Creed is ready to answer the bell with a 2018 production start, an Instagram post from the officialslystallone account has hinted.
The hashtags #Creed 2 and #mgm accompanied a shirtless gym picture of film co-star Michael B. Jordan, with “getting stronger” and “2018” noted on the account’s official comments. As Deadline has reported, Stallone has been busy writing the script for the next installment, which very well might place Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Johnson Creed in the ring with the son of Ivan Drago, the Russian heavyweight who killed Apollo Creed in a brutal match in the 1985 film Rocky IV. Stallone has also teased that notion on his social media missives.
The 2015 release of Creed revived the Rocky oeuvre, with Jordan playing Adonis Johnson Creed, the troubled son of Apollo Creed, the flamboyant boxing champion from the original Rocky film. The younger Creed aligns with his father’s old friend and rival, Rocky Balboa, to train in pursuit of his own professional fighting career.
Sylvester Stallone won the Golden Globe for supporting actor in his turn as an aged, retired and ill Rocky Balboa in the film. He was also nominated as Best Performance By An Actor in a Supporting Role for the 2016 Academy Awards, 40 years after being Oscar nominated for the original film, which won Best Pictures.
Creed also scored big at the 47th annual NAACP Image Awards, taking home wins in every category in which it was nominated, including Best Actor (Jordan), Best Director (Ryan Coogler), Best Supporting Actress (Phylicia Rashad) and Best Writing. Jordan was also named Entertainer of the Year. The film also was honored by numerous smaller awards programs.
Creed grossed $109.8 million in North America and $63.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $173.6 million.
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