Sylvester Stallone announced last week that he would not be returning for Creed III, the spin-off series spawned from Rocky, the franchise that made him popular. What is the reason for this? There was no explanation provided. However, in a new interview with IGN, Michael B. Jordan, the threequel’s star — and also its producer — discussed Sly’s departure. One explanation for this is that the series will focus on his pugilistic hero, Adonis, rather than Rocky Balboa.
“I think that Sly let it be known that he wasn’t coming back for this one but I think, you know, his essence and his spirit… there’s always going to be a little bit of Rocky within Adonis,” Jordan told the publication. “But this is a Creed franchise, and we really want to build this story and this world around him moving forward. So, it’s always respect and always a shit-ton of love for what he’s built, but we really want to push and navigate Adonis forward and the family that he created. So, hopefully you guys will love what I’m thinking… what we’re cooking up. I think it’s going to be something special.”
Stallone’s decision isn’t all that shocking. Rocky got a nice ending in Creed II, which he also co-wrote, not a burial, but a peace his character hasn’t known in the over four decades he’s been a beloved part of cinema. Stallone also hinted that Rocky will be his final film. But he’s said similar things before. In 1996, he declared that Daylight would be his last action film, and he was right. So maybe we’ll hear from Rocky again, and we’re not talking about a postcard.
