The trailer for Creed III was released online earlier this week, and folks, this movie looks like it might just be worth the wait.
Michael B. Jordan returns as Adonis “Donnie” Creed, who may have met his match this time in Damian “Dame” Anderson, played by a jacked-up Jonathan Majors, whose career is as hot as any actor working right now [he’s Kang in the MCU]. It seems that Dame grew up with Adonis but spent the last 18 years behind bars, harboring resentment as he has watched Adonis live the life that he feels he was supposed to lead.
That’s a hell of a premise for the third film in this boxing franchise, so much so that I hear that some of those who have seen the film have actually found themselves rooting for Damian. And really, that’s the best kind of villain, right? One who leaves you feeling a little conflicted.
What’s also interesting about Creed III is that it marks Jordan’s feature directorial debut, as well as the first film in the Rocky franchise that won’t feature Sylvester Stallone himself. No, there’s no post-credits cameo in the wings as far as I know. Jordan has been acting for 20 years, and it’s nice to see him try his hand behind the camera, though I’m sure it wasn’t easy making his debut with a franchise movie, which often brings with it added pressures.
Ryan Coogler directed the first film in the Creed series before handing the reins of the sequel to Steven Caple Jr., who has since graduated to the Transformers franchise. Coogler returns as a producer here, and he actually shares story credit with his brother, Keenan Coogler, as well as Zach Baylin, the Oscar-nominated scribe behind King Richard, though only Keenan Coogler and Baylin are credited with the screenplay.
Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris, and Mila Davis-Kent co-star alongside Florian Munteanu, who returns as Viktor Drago from Creed II. For what it’s worth, I’ve heard Rashad is really good in this film, so we’ll see if MGM and United Artists Releasing mount a campaign on her behalf.
UAR will release Creed III in theaters on March 3, 2023. Watch the trailer below. It’s a knockout.
