‘Creed 3’ Set to Become Michael B. Jordan’s Directorial Debut

All rumors of Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut with Creed 3 were proven true after MGM announced the same on Wednesday. Now, Jordan will both star in and direct the third part of the Rocky spin-off film series, set for a November 2022 release.

In October last year, Deadline first reported that Jordan could be working with the option to direct the third Creed film. Two months later, Tessa Thompson, his co-star playing Creed’s love interest Bianca, verified the report in a December 23 interview with MTV News, saying, “He is directing the next Creed.”

Jordan features in the boxing franchise as Adonis “Creed” Johnson, son of the fallen boxing champion Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers. Apollo was Rocky Balboa’s (Sylvester Stallone’s) former enemy-turned-friend, who was killed in a tournament against Ivan Drago played by Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV.

Speaking of the project, Michael De Luca (MGM’s Film Group Chairman), and Pamela Abdy (MGM’s Film Group President), added,

“Michael’s vision for Creed III is inspiring and will undoubtedly be an important contribution to the canon of this storied franchise. We are thrilled to bring his directorial debut and share this next chapter in the Creed story to theatres next year.”

Michael De Luca & Pamela Abdy

In her MTV interview, Tessa also teased how she would use Jordan’s new status as PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive against him on set,

“It’s going to be ammo, I think, for me, when he is engaging with me as a director. I’m just going to tell him to dial down the sexiness.”

Tessa Thompson

Meanwhile, Jordan thinks himself ready for the “awesome responsibility of being the director and the namesake” to Creed 3.

“Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right. Creed III is that moment—a time in my life where I’ve grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally, and learning from the greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top-tier directors I respect. All of which sets the table for this moment,”

“This franchise and in particular the themes of Creed III are deeply personal to me. I look forward to sharing the next chapter of Adonis Creed’s story with the awesome responsibility of being its director and namesake.”

Michael B. Jordan

Creator Ryan Coogler, who is returning as Proximity Media’s producer for Creed 3, looks forward to “seeing Mike in the director’s chair”.

“The films of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise have always been important to my family and me. It was an honor to help bring the Creed franchise to life with Sly, Michael, Tessa, Irwin, and all the creative parties involved,”

Ryan Coogler

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to see Mike in the director’s chair on the third installment. The team at Proximity and I are excited about the story Keenan and Zach have crafted and can’t wait to help bring it to life,”

Ryan Coogler

Apart from directing and starring in the film, Jordan will also serve as a producer, alongside Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Jonathan Glickman, and Ryan Coogler, in association with Proximity Media. Executive producers are Adam Rosenberg, Sev Ohanian, and Zinzi Coogler.

Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad are anticipated to return for the third installment. The screenplay will be written by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin based on an outline by Ryan Coogler.

The new movie, coming out Thanksgiving 2022, will be broadcast theatrically in the US via MGM’s distribution and marketing joint venture United Artists Releasing.

About Creed

Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, boxing champion Apollo Creed, who died before Adonis was born. However, boxing is in his blood, so he seeks out Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and asks the retired champ to be his trainer.

Creed is an American sports drama film series based on a story by Ryan Coogler and a screenplay written by Coogler, Aaron Covington, and Sylvester Stallone who wrote all the scenes and dialogues with his character in the film. It is both a sequel and spin-off to the Rocky film series. It also stars Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew, and Graham McTavish.