While the main storyline of “Rocky” may be over, the producers of the films seem to think that there’s still potential to be utilized in the franchise. A new film is currently in the works, although not a main installment in the series – “Creed” will be a spinoff that will still feature elements from the original storyline, but will take things in an otherwise new direction.
One thing that’s definitely not changing for the new film is the presence of Sylvester Stallone, however. The actor has confirmed that he’ll be playing in the spinoff, which will revolve around the story of Apollo Creed, a descendant from one of Rocky’s old opponents. The role of Apollo will be played by Michael B. Jordan, while Stallone will come to serve as a mentor to the up-and-coming young boxer.
This is certainly an interesting inter-character dynamic, and the new film sounds interesting before it’s even been announced. While the premise of teaching the son/grandson of one of your rivals is not really anything new under the sun, spinning it into a boxing story with the epic proportions of “Rocky” is guaranteed to be an amazing experience. In addition, the writers for “Creed” are reportedly trying to twist things in an unusual way, presenting the events from the original films in a new light, so the movie should be an interesting watch for fans of the franchise as well as those who haven’t seen the “Rocky” films.
Ryan Coogler is in the director’s chair this time, and he’s expected to begin the actual shooting in January next year. According to reports, the studio is still in the initial production stages, and they’re trying to sort out certain issues with the casting before they move on to the next stage. Reportedly, Stallone himself has immediately agreed to the role once it was offered to him, so it’s not clear who the casting issues are related to. As usual in major productions, information will probably find its way to the public shortly after the casting decisions have been finalized, which should be over the next few weeks, if the reports about the filming starting in January are correct.
Stallone has been quite busy lately, working on “The Expendables” while also reportedly planning a new “Rambo” film. The actor has been very active in expanding his reach into other areas of filmmaking, and he seems to be settling quite well into his alternative production roles. However, his work on “Creed” will see him returning as nothing more than an actor, so hopefully he will be able to deliver a top notch performance. After all, it’s not rare that an actor loses some of his skills while working as a producer or a similar role.