The director and star of Creed III, Michael B. Jordan, is more than willing to explain why Rocky doesn’t appear in the Rocky spin-off. After reconnecting with his childhood friend Dame, Donnie (Michael B. Jordan) is forced to reckon with the reality of his childhood and the worrisome influence that Dame had on him. As it always does in Rocky and Creed movies, it eventually leads to a boxing match.
While there have been questions about Rocky’s potential involvement in the film, in an interview with Hot 97 on YouTube, Jordan explained why Rocky was never meant to appear in the spin-off.
Creed movies don’t need Rocky, according to Jordan, because his influence continues to resound throughout the franchise. Whether Rocky appears or not, his presence can certainly be felt. Check out Jordan’s quote below, via GamesRadar+:
“First of all, Sly and Rocky’s DNA is through this entire franchise. You can’t have these movies [without that]. That underdog spirit, I think, connects the underdog in all of us. I think what we love about these movies so much is that we see somebody that’s going through hardships, that’s able to rise from the ashes and reach the mountaintop, and we connect with that. For us, we connect with characters that can do the same, and that’s what we want to do with Adonis Creed. I want Adonis to stand on his own two feet. In order to do that, we had to go into the past. What were those transformative years, those childhood traumas that shaped [Adonis] today? I think the room for this story was really about Adonis Creed moving forward with his family, and having him move forward. That’s kind of how we rolled out the story for this one.”
Why Michael B. Jordan Is Right About Rocky In Creed III
Jordan isn’t wrong that the focus of a film entitled Creed III should be about Creed himself, even if Rocky’s spirit is always there. With Donnie struggling with his own past, there isn’t much room to shoehorn in a storyline about Rocky when Donnie has his own problems to deal with. If Creed III wants to stand on its own, it needs to have the ability to do that without having Rocky to prop it up and draw sales.
Of course, since its release, Creed III has absolutely proven that. Creed III is shattering box office records with an expected opening weekend total of $58.6 million, which is an incredible take against its $75 million budget. While it won’t break even on the first weekend, the rest of the week should easily be able to see it there.
The Rocky franchise helped to build a well-oiled sports movie machine, but Creed III has the capacity to grow above and beyond even Rocky‘s expectations. While it would be nice to see the heroic underdog again, if the Creed franchise continues to cling to Rocky cameos, it will be neglecting its own star, which is a disservice to Donnie. When Creed IV hits theaters, perhaps Rocky can cameo again. For now, Creed III is a love letter to Adonis Creed and is better off that way.
Source: HOT 97 / YouTube (via GamesRadar+)