Creed III, a sports drama film, was released in 2023 in the United States. Directed by Michael B. Jordan, who also made his feature directorial debut, the film’s screenplay was written by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin. It is the sequel to Creed II, the third installment in the Creed series, and the ninth film in the Rocky franchise. The cast includes Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad.
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The absence of Sylvester Stallone from the film marks the first time he has not appeared in the series ‘Creed III’, although he still served as a producer. Ryan Coogler, the director of the first film in the series, also returned as a producer.
In September 2019, the production of a third Creed film was officially announced. In October 2020, Michael B. Jordan was announced as the director and reprised his role as the lead character. The rest of the cast, including Jonathan Majors, was announced between November 2021 and September of the following year. It was also confirmed that Sylvester Stallone would not appear in the film.
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Why Sylvester Stallone Is Not in Creed III
The latest addition to the Rocky franchise, “Creed III,” is now playing in theaters, but fans of the series might notice something missing: Sylvester Stallone’s iconic character, Rocky Balboa. Stallone starred in the previous two Creed movies, which focused on Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed, Rocky’s former rival and friend. However, in “Creed III,” Rocky’s whereabouts are not explained, and he is entirely absent from the film.
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This is the first time in nine films and 47 years that a Rocky movie does not feature Rocky Balboa. The reason for Stallone’s departure from the franchise is twofold: he was not happy with the direction that “Creed III” was taking, and he has an ongoing feud with longtime franchise producer Irwin Winkler over the rights to the Rocky character. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at both of these factors and how they led to Stallone’s absence from “Creed III.”
Michael B. Jordan’s vision for the Adonis Creed character and the decision to sideline Rocky.
Michael B. Jordan, who portrays Adonis Creed in the “Creed” series, has expressed his vision for the character in the upcoming third installment. He has stated that he wants to see Adonis grow and evolve as a person, both as a fighter and as a father, and face new challenges and conflicts.
In terms of the decision to sideline Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, it was reportedly a creative choice made by the filmmakers to allow Adonis to stand on his own and become the focus of the story. In an interview with Collider, Jordan explained that they wanted to explore Adonis’ story and give him a chance to be the sole protagonist of the film, without relying on Rocky’s presence. However, Jordan did express his appreciation and admiration for Stallone’s contribution to the franchise and acknowledged the impact Rocky has had on the Creed character.
The history of the Rocky franchise and Stallone’s resentment over not owning the rights to the character.
The Rocky franchise began in 1976 with the release of the film “Rocky,” which was written by Sylvester Stallone, who also starred in the lead role. The film tells the story of Rocky Balboa, an underdog boxer from Philadelphia who gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship. The film was a huge success, earning $225 million at the box office and winning three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Stallone went on to make several sequels to the original film, including “Rocky II,” “Rocky III,” “Rocky IV,” “Rocky V,” and “Rocky Balboa.” The films continued to follow the life and career of Rocky Balboa, as he faced new challenges both in and out of the ring.
However, Stallone has expressed resentment over not owning the rights to the character of Rocky Balboa. In a 2018 interview with Variety, Stallone said, “I’ve lived with Rocky for 40 years, and then you realize, well, that’s probably not going to happen again. So you have to think, well, what else can you do?”
Despite not owning the rights to the character, Stallone has continued to work on the Rocky franchise. He produced the Creed films and also starred in them as Rocky Balboa. However, with his absence from Creed III, it appears that Stallone is moving on from the franchise.
Stallone’s feud with producer Irwin Winkler and how it contributed to his departure from the franchise.
Stallone’s feud with Irwin Winkler, one of the original producers of the Rocky franchise, began during the making of Rocky V. Winkler had reportedly pushed for the film to have a lower budget than its predecessors, which Stallone felt would compromise the quality of the film. Additionally, Stallone and Winkler disagreed over the direction of the storyline, with Winkler pushing for a darker and more dramatic tone, while Stallone wanted to return to the franchise’s roots as a feel-good underdog story.
After the release of Rocky V, Stallone publicly criticized the film, calling it a “disaster.” He later revealed that he had only made the film because he felt obligated to fulfill his contract with Winkler, despite his misgivings about the project. Stallone and Winkler’s relationship continued to deteriorate, and Stallone ultimately filed a lawsuit against Winkler, claiming that he had been cheated out of his fair share of profits from the Rocky films.
The lawsuit was settled out of court, but the damage to Stallone and Winkler’s relationship was irreparable. Stallone has since gone on record stating that he no longer has any interest in working with Winkler, and that their feud was a major factor in his decision to step away from the Rocky franchise after the release of Rocky Balboa in 2006.
Stallone’s reaction to the announcement of a new Rocky spinoff and his assertion that he was not informed of its development.
When news of Creed first broke, Stallone expressed surprise and disappointment that he had not been informed of the project’s development by MGM. He claimed that he had no involvement in the film and had not been approached to reprise his role as Rocky Balboa.
Stallone took to social media to express his feelings, stating that he had “no involvement with the new Rocky spinoff.” He also wrote, “I am not in the mood to be sued right now,” suggesting that he may have legal grounds to dispute the use of the Rocky character without his consent.
Despite his initial reaction, Stallone later had a change of heart and publicly supported the film, praising director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan for their work on the project. He even attended the film’s premiere and made a cameo appearance in the movie.
However, Stallone’s relationship with MGM and the Rocky franchise remained strained, and he ultimately decided to step away from the series after Creed II.
