Sylvester Stallone Will Return to Direct Creed 2!

Its been confirmed that Rocky creator Sylvester Stallone will return to direct Michael B. Jordan in MGM‘s Creed 2! Stallone will also write and produce the film, with previous director Ryan Coogler remaining on board as an executive producer. Stallone has previously written every film in the series except for Creed, and directed Rocky II, III and IV as well as the sixth entry Rocky Balboa. John G. Avildsen directed the original Rocky and Rocky V, while Ryan Coogler co-wrote and directed Creed.

Looking forward to directing and Producing The incredibly talented Michael B Jordan in CREED 2 next year … One more Round ! #creed2 #mgm #fighting #workout #exercise #boxing

A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on Oct 9, 2017 at 5:59pm PDT

Stallone previously confirmed that Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, and possibly his offspring, will be involved in a big bloody battle with Adonis Creed in the ring. Previous discussions for the next installment had the story potentially mirror Rocky IV, or even take a page from The Godfather Part II playbook and feature recurring flashbacks to Apollo Creed before his death.

“You’ll have him face a different opponent, which I would say is a more ferocious, big Russian,” Stallone said previously. “There’s a lot there.” 

2015’s Creed earned over $173 million at the worldwide box office and got Stallone a Best Supporting actor Golden Globe win and an Oscar nod. Time did not allow Coogler to direct Creed 2 given his commitment to deliver Marvel Studios’ Black Panther for a February 16, 2018 release. He also has the Atlanta school drama Wrong Answer in development with Michael B. Jordan to star.

Coogler directed Creed from a screenplay he wrote with Aaron Covington, based on characters from the Rocky series written by Sylvester Stallone. The film was produced by Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Kevin King Templeton and Sylvester Stallone, with Nicholas Stern executive producing.