As a passionate about movies and boxing, the arrival of the unexpected ‘Creed’ franchise in my life was a great joy. Both Ryan Coogler in the fantastic original title and Steven Caple Jr. in the no less intense sequel knew embrace the classic spirit of ‘Rocky’ and adapt it to the new times in two boxing shows to frame on a formal level and with regard to the narrative.
Now, with the third part of the adventures and misadventures of Adonis Creed warming up for its premiere next March 3, 2023, some voices are already positioning themselves around the closure of the spinoff trilogy; one of them being a Sylvester Stallone who is not happy at all with the paths that the franchise has taken.
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As stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, good old Sly is disappointed in the fact that he is the only member of the ‘Rocky’ family who has been left out for the occasion.
“This is a classic case of picking and choosing aspects of ‘Rocky’ without even asking if I want to join. I’m not an executive producer on the ‘Creed’ movies. Ryan Coogler is. Michael B. Jordan is. They are. children [de Irwin Winker y Robert Chartoff]. It is not mine. I’m the only one left out.”
But this is not the only downside that Stallone puts. As far as the plot is concerned, the triple Oscar nominee —both for the original ‘Rocky’ and for the first ‘Creed’— has criticized the darkness that seems to have permeated the new storyin which Adonis will face the ghosts of his past.
“It’s an unfortunate situation because I know what could have been. It was taken in a direction that is quite different from what I would have taken. It’s a different philosophy, that of Irwin Winkler and Michael B. Jordan. I wish them well, but I’m much more sentimental. I like to see my heroes beaten to a pulp, but I don’t want them to go into that dark space. I feel like people have enough darkness.”
For his part, Michael B. Jordan, producer, director and star of ‘Creed III’, made it clear in April of last year that although Stallone is not involved in the project, the feature film will be, above all, a tribute to the original saga.
“I think Sly made it known that he wasn’t coming back for this one, but I think that, you know, his essence and his spirit… there will always be a little bit of Rocky within Adonis. But this is a ‘Creed’ franchise, and we want to build this story around Adonis Creed. There is always respect and lots of love for what [Stallone] has built, but we want to propel and move Adonis and the family he created forward. So, hopefully, you’ll love what I have in mind… what we’re cooking up. I think it will be something special.”
Will the words of Michael B. Jordan be true? Is Stallone right and will ‘Creed III’ plunge us into excessive darkness? Fortunately, there is less and less to check first hand.