Stallone reveals a couple of possible directions for Creed sequel

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

More CREED is on the way.

We already knew that development had begun on some ideas that would allow Michael B. Jordan to carry the ROCKY franchise forward in a new direction after having the torch passed to him in November. MGM and Warner Bros. were extremely high on what director Ryan Coogler had put together, and, with the general public really embracing CREED upon release, the opportunity to pull the trigger on sequels has presented itself.

So what story might these sequels tell?

Leave it to Sylvester Stallone to begin pulling back the curtain on some of the concepts he and Coogler have discussed, one of which would involve bringing back Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed and examining more of Rocky’s past with the late boxing legend.

Ryan has some ideas of going forward and backward and actually seeing Rocky and Apollo together. Think of ‘The Godfather 2.’ That’s what he was thinking of, which was kind of ambitious.

Or…?

You’ll have him face a different opponent, which I would say is a more ferocious, big Russian. You can start to meld my experiences and then you start to bring different cultures into it. And you can see what’s happening with the Russians today in America. The complication will come with the girl’s ambition, because she’s not Adrian. She has places to go, things to see, the clock is running on her hearing.

Ummm… Are either of these options really doing it for anyone? Another Drago-type storyline that shows more of what Russia is like today? Neither of these seem to really focus on what made CREED feel so fresh – the natural progression of Jordan’s Adonis as a character with Rocky serving mostly in a mentor capacity. Going back to the well with Rocky too much is going to get this series stuck again, as new blood is really what is needed to keep it moving ahead.

Coogler didn’t seem all too pleased with Stallone revealing these ideas – “Oh no!” he says with a sigh. “There are no secrets with Sly.” And let’s face it… Coogler is a key component of how this is all going to turn out. He was a major driving force in CREED happening as it did to begin with, but now he’s in high demand. He’s going to be off shooting BLACK PANTHER soon enough, so is he going to be directing CREED 2? Or is he going to be involved, but not at such a high degree as before, perhaps just serving in a producing capacity? Does the CREED sequel wait for him to have an open spot in his calendar to make it work, or is the rush for a follow-up needed to capitalize on the success of the first film? A lot of questions to consider, but one of the bigger ones is bound to be “Don’t they have any better ideas?”