Michael B. Jordan’s epic fight sequel Creed III has been delayed until 2023. The upcoming Creed sequel (and the ninth film in the Rocky franchise) was originally expected to debut on November 23 but has now been pushed back until March 3, 2023.
Jordan once again stars as Adonis Creed – the son of the legendary Rocky opponent, Apollo Creed. But this time around, Jordan will also be stepping behind the camera, making his directorial debut.
Jonathan Majors will appear as new challenger, Anderson Dame.
Creed III will be the first of the Creed films without an appearance from Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa – unsurprising, given his passing of the torch in Creed II. The second film ends with Adonis making peace with carrying his father’s legacy, while Rocky himself travels to Vancouver – patching things up with his son and finally meeting his grandson.
But with Jordan taking the helm and Stallone stepping away from the franchise, this could signal a new beginning for the long-running boxing series.
The plot for Creed III is still firmly under wraps but is thought to introduce the new character Anderson Dame as a challenger to Adonis Creed’s title.
But the upcoming Creed sequel isn’t the only new Rocky film on its way.
The news of Creed 3’s delay comes on the back of news of a new spin-off, titled ‘Drago’ which follows the Russian father and son boxing team, Ivan and Viktor Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren and Florian Munteanu).
Clearly, it’s a time of change for the Rocky films, ushering in a new generation of fighters with both the sequel and spin-off.
Creed 3 stars Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed alongside Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Florian Munteanu, and Jonathan Majors.
Michael B. Jordan will direct the film based on a script by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.