Exclusive: Florian Munteanu's 5 Favorite Sports Movies

MGM and Warner Bros. Pictures‘ boxing sequel Creed II starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone opened huge in theaters over Thanksgiving weekend, bringing in $55.8 million at the box office. The movie’s breakout star is undoubtedly German-Romanian boxer Florian Munteanu, making his feature debut as Viktor Drago, the son of Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago from 1985’s Rocky IV. ComingSoon.net had the chance to ask Munteanu’s to tell us about his 5 Favorite Sports Movies, and you can check out his choices in the gallery below!

Creed II is the continuation of the Rocky saga and sequel to the 2015 critically-acclaimed and crowd-pleasing 2015 hit Creed, which took in more than $170 million at the worldwide box office. Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), who directed the first film, returns to the franchise as an executive producer on Creed II. The new film is being directed by Steven Caple Jr., who helmed the acclaimed 2016 drama The Land.

Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family’s past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what’s worth fighting for, and discover that nothing’s more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can’t escape your history.

Also reprising their roles from the first film are Tessa Thompson as Bianca, Phylicia Rashad as Mary Anne, Wood Harris as Tony ‘Little Duke’ Burton, and Andre Ward as Danny ‘Stuntman’ Wheeler. The new cast is rounded out with Florian “The Big Nasty” Munteanu as Viktor Drago, Dolph Lundgren returning to the role of Ivan Drago and Russell Hornsby as Buddy Marcelle. Creed II will be distributed theatrically in the U.S. by MGM on November 21, 2018, and Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute the film internationally.

Caple Jr. directs from an original screenplay written by Stallone based on characters from the Rocky franchise. The film is produced by Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Kevin King-Templeton, and Stallone. Coogler, Jordan and Guy Riedel will executive produce.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Florian Munteanu's 5 Favorite Sports Movies

Rocky IV (1985)

Florian Munteanu: "I like the 'Rocky' movies, so we already have six. No, I’m kidding. 'Rocky IV' is great because my pops is in it and it was the first one I saw. So that’s a good memory. "
Rocky IV (1985)

Florian Munteanu: "'Creed II' is a follow-up to 'Rocky IV,' but it’s basically a 'Rocky IV 2.0' really."
Warrior (2011)

Florian Munteanu: "I really like 'Warrior,' the MMA movie with Tom Hardy. I like it because the fighting is technical. You have great fighting scenes in it, but the fighting is secondary. It’s about family issues that are going down and it’s basically about family and loyalty and about the people that you care about."
Warrior (2011)

Florian Munteanu: "So it’s very close to 'Creed 2,' the unresolved father/son issues, and like I said it’s about you’re fighting for the people that you love. So I think there are some similarities between those movies, 'Creed 2' and 'Warrior.'"
Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)

Florian Munteanu: "What’s good about 'Goal' is it’s also like the kid from a bad neighborhood, basically from the ghetto, who has a lot of talent but who was growing up under tough circumstances. There are also a lot of father/son issues going on because his father doesn’t really believe in the dream that he can go and make it as a professional soccer player because he thinks that the world is cruel and doesn’t really believe in chances and big dreams."
Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)

Florian Munteanu: "But he keeps going, fighting for his dream. In the end, he turns out to be a professional and one of the best players of the team who signs him. So it’s a lot about family, a lot about love, about the people that you care about, a lot about loyalty. Those are the movies that I like. I like to see some drama going on and I like to have the movie give a message to the people."
The Wrestler (2008)

Florian Munteanu: "I love this one with Mickey Rourke. It’s also a great movie, a great picture. Again the sports stuff is secondary here. The foreground is about the issues that every person in life has to deal with. So you see all the movies that I was telling you right now have basically everything, all the movies have something in common here."
The Wrestler (2008)

Florian Munteanu: "It's not so much about the sports in general, more about the daily issues that people have to struggle with, the family stuff, and simply fighting for the people that you love."
Rocky (1976)

Florian Munteanu: "It's about a total underdog going the distance against the champ, against maybe the best fighter of all time, and nobody really believes that he can pull it off. So I think those movies are about, first of all, never giving up, and second of all, setting your goals high because nothing is impossible."
Rocky (1976)

Florian Munteanu: "So if you’re really willing to put your heart on the line, if you really want something from the bottom of your heart, that you’re willing to sacrifice yourself to put in the hard work, the blood, sweat and tears, I think everything’s possible. That’s basically the message of the franchise and of the first one. I think you don’t have to be a boxing movie fan to rely on those movies. I think those movies should be an inspiration and motivation for everyone."