After word first began swirling in October the Black Panther star was eyeing the chair for himself, Deadline has brought word that Michael B. Jordan is officially set to make his directorial debut with Creed III and the studio has set the film for a Thanksgiving 2022 release.
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“Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right,” Jordan said in a statement. “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.”
While plot details are still unknown for the sequel, including whether Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa will return, it has been confirmed that the script is being penned by Keenan Coogler (Space Jam: A New Legacy) and Zach Baylin (King Richard) on a story outline from original co-writer/director Ryan Coogler.
Click here to purchase the first and second installments in the Creed series!
“The films of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise have always been important to me and my family,” Coogler, who is still attached as a producer, said in a statement. “It was an honor to help bring the Creed franchise to life with Sly, Michael, Tessa, Irwin, and all the creative parties involved. 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.“
The film is being produced by Charles Winkler, William Chartoff and David Winkler via Chartoff-Winkler Productions in association with Proximity Media alongside Jonathan Glickman, Jordan and Coogler, while Adam Rosenberg, Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler are all set as executive producers.
“I cannot overstate how thrilled we are to have Michael directing the third film in the Creed series,” Winkler said in a statement. “His commitment to this character has been nothing short of extraordinary, and we know that will extend to his role behind the camera at the helm of this great new installment.”
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Creed II released back in 2018 to great reviews from critics, currently maintaining an 83 percent “Certified Fresh” rating from critics on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes and a worldwide box office take of over $214 million, which was a marked increase over the original’s $173 million take.
“Michael’s vision for Creed III is incredibly exciting and will undoubtedly be an important contribution to the cannon of this storied franchise,” Michael De Luca, MGM’s Film Group Chairman, and Pamela Abdy, MGM’s Film Group President, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring his directorial debut, and share this next chapter in the Creed story, to theaters next year.”
Since that time, Jordan has appeared in the TV series Gen: Lock and starred in the film Just Mercy and can next be seen in Without Remorse, based on the Tom Clancy novel, which is set to hit Amazon Prime Video on April 30.
