- "Creed III" marks the first time Sylvester Stallone is not in a "Rocky" or "Creed" movie.
- It was the best thing for the franchise.
- Here's why cutting Stallone loose elevated the "Creed" franchise.
"Creed III" has received critical praise and big box-office numbers, and proved that Michael B. Jordan is a star director in the making. But what's arguably most impressive is that the movie succeeded while making little to no mention of Rocky Balboa.
When Ryan Coogler came out with "Creed" in 2015, the movie acted as a rebirth for the "Rocky" franchise and, by extension, Sylvester Stallone.
Stallone's Balboa became the story's Mickey, aka the retired-boxer-turned-wise-trainer, as he took Adonis Creed (Jordan), the son of Rocky's deceased rival and friend Apollo Creed, under his wing and molded him into a heavyweight contender.
"Creed" became one of the best movies of that year and garnered Stallone an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globes win — the first time he'd received any kind of award-season buzz since the original "Rocky" first hit theaters in the late 1970s (he was nominated for lead actor and screenplay, and the movie won best picture).
"Creed II" was quickly greenlit. Stallone returned and, for a brief moment, was going to direct the sequel after making the announcement on a now-deleted Instagram post. (Coogler moved to a producing role so he could tend to the "Black Panther" sequel.)
But things changed and newcomer Steven Caple Jr. signed on to direct. "I was going to direct it, but I realized youth must be served," Stallone told the Toronto Sun.
Caple did an impressive job. The movie doubled down on the nostalgia even more than the first as Creed faced Viktor Drago, the son of Balboa's "Rocky IV" nemesis, Ivan Drago. The sequel was a box-office success.
But when "Creed III" opened in theaters at the beginning of this month, it didn't just prove that Jordan is as much of a force in the director's chair as he is on-screen, but also that this franchise no longer needs Stallone to succeed.
Yes, it's almost sacrilegious to say it, but the "Creed" franchise needed to break away from its iconic supporting star if it was going to continue any further.
Stallone was against 'Creed III' following a 'different philosophy'
"Creed III" marks the first time Stallone doesn't appear in a "Rocky" or "Creed" movie. But he's not just absent; Creed never even utters his old trainer's name once.
Jonathan Majors' character Damian Anderson references him once when referring to an underdog getting a shot. Balboa also gets a very subtle nod before Creed fights Anderson. In his dressing room, Creed says softly to himself, "One step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time…," which was the saying Balboa would always repeat to him during their training. But other than those small allusions, Balboa is glaringly omitted.
Truthfully, one of my major concerns going into the movie was that Stallone wouldn't be in it. And I would imagine that unease was also felt at MGM, the studio behind the franchise. For audiences that grew up on Rocky, watching the "Creed" movies is as much about seeing Balboa's trajectory as it is about Creed's evolution.
And it also didn't help matters that Stallone, who is a producer on all the "Creed" films, took a jab at the third movie.
"It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would've taken it," he told The Hollywood Reporter last November.
"It's a different philosophy — [producer] Irwin Winkler's and Michael B. Jordan's," Stallone continued. "I wish them well, but I'm much more of a sentimentalist. I like my heroes getting beat up, but I just don't want them going into that dark space. I just feel people have enough darkness."
Turning the movie into its star's directorial debut was already a risky gamble, so to have the person who created the franchise's legacy publicly calling it too "dark" could've easily been adding insult to injury. (Stallone also told THR he doesn't own any rights to the lucrative franchise, so it seems he might be bitter towards all things "Rocky" at the moment.)
But luckily, the franchise already laid the groundwork for Balboa's exit, making the transition to a Balboa-less "Creed" movie both logical and seamless.
Rocky's exit in 'Creed II' opened the door for the franchise's evolution
At the conclusion of "Creed II," something very interesting happens. Following Creed's victory over Drago, Balboa doesn't enter the ring to celebrate. Instead, he says to his young fighter, "It's your time now." He then sits and soaks in the victory ringside.
I brought up that scene to Caple before the movie opened and he revealed that was all Stallone's idea.
"That wasn't even in the script," Caple told Insider of the line Stallone delivered. "I didn't know what he was going to say."
Balboa then leaves Philadelphia to finally reconnect with his son Robert (played by "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, reprising the role he played in 2006's "Rocky Balboa").
Did Stallone see the writing on the wall? I mean, nostalgia can only work so many times with a movie franchise (ask "Star Wars"). Audiences could interpret the "Creed II" ending as Stallone passing the torch to Jordan, which makes what transpires in "Creed III" more believable.
But it's only the starting point of moving the storyline forward. There still needs to be an engaging plot so viewers aren't telling themselves halfway through the movie, "Man, I wish Rocky was in this."
But this is where the gamble of looking past Balboa paid off. Creed's face-off with his boyhood friend Anderson (Majors) is layered with so much passion and emotion that there's no time to think, "Where's Rocky?"
But as the movie's director, Jordan didn't just have the plot focus on Creed moving forward, he himself did as well.
Michael B. Jordan proves with 'Creed III' that his time is now
Yes, "Creed III" still has trademarks of the "Rocky" franchise, like thrilling, macho workout montages, but it's the subtle moments that make the movie great. There's the running bit where Anderson can always sense Creed looking at him (even when there's literally a wall between them).
There's also the incredible sequence during the Dodger Stadium match between Creed and Anderson where they are suddenly fighting in an empty venue. Representing how the two men aren't just battling each other but their pasts as well, it's one of the most unique moments in any "Rocky" or "Creed" movie to date.
Collectively, this all makes "Creed III" a milestone in the franchise. Jordan has done what many would think is impossible and made you forget, briefly at least, about Stallone.
It's an accomplishment that makes it possible for the "Creed" movies to go forward in so many unique ways. MGM and its parent company Amazon have already begun to develop a "Creed-verse" with Jordan.
But — just like in real boxing where fighters can't help but return after walking away from the ring — I don't think this is the last we'll see of Rocky in the franchise.
Despite Stallone's recent comments, I'm unconvinced he could ever fully turn his back on Balboa. The passage of time (and a good storyline) often heals wounds.
Yet for the time being, Jordan has proven he's up for the challenge. It really is his time now. I, for one, am excited to see where he can take the legacy Stallone created decades ago.
